Pastor Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church is the executive producer of Mary, a film being called a Biblical epic. The film retells the story of the immaculate conception of Jesus and the amazing journey shared by Mary and Joseph in Jesus' early years from Mary's point of view. It will be available to watch on Netflix just in time for the Christmas season, beginning on December 6th.
Israeli actress Noa Cohen (Silent Game, 8200) will star as Jesus' mother, Mary, while Israeli actor Ido Tako (The Vanishing Soldier, Sky) will play the role of Mary's husband, Joseph. American actor Anthony Hopkins (The Father, The Silence of the Lambs) will play King Herod. These are just a few of the talented cast members who are involved in the Mary movie, according to Netflix.
The film was directed by D.J. Caruso, who studied Television Production at Pepperdine University and interned at Disney Studios. A few of his directing credits include Taking Lives (2004), Disturbia (2007), and Eagle Eye (2008), according to the IMDB.
The film was produced by Aloe Entertainment and producer Mary Aloe. The Aloe Entertainment team has produced and/or financed 48 films (26 of those over the last eight years) and nine series, according to Aloe Entertainment.
Aloe is a professing Christian, and feels that this movie is needed now more than ever, according to The Christian Post.
"As a woman, a person of faith, and a producer, Mary's story is very important to me. While this movie is for families, we always had the youth of the world, our future, as our focus. I always thought, what if we could make an exciting movie about Mary, her family, Joseph, and Jesus — a survival thriller? An ever-green film that kids, teens, and families around the world wanted to watch again and again," she told The Christian Post.
She hopes that the movie will inspire people to learn more about the Bible and study it on their own.
Aloe said the Aloe Entertainment team was very diligent about making sure the film was as authentic as possible. Multiple religious leaders were sought out for script approvals, including theologians, scholars, rabbis and priests.
"The script, written in 2020 by writer Timothy Michael Hayes, went through 74 drafts until our shooting script was finalized. An important takeaway is to never give up; keep the faith, hope, and love in your heart," Aloe told The Christian Post.
Photo Credit: ©Netflix/Christopher Raphael
Elizabeth Delaney has been a freelance content writer for over 20 years and has enjoyed having her prose published in both the non-fiction and fiction markets. She has written various types of content, including Christian articles, healthy lifestyle, blog posts, business topics, news articles, product descriptions, and some fiction. She is also a singer-songwriter-musician. When she is not busy with writing or music, she enjoys spending time with friends or family and doing fun social activities such as hiking, swing dancing, concerts, and other activities.