‘House of David’ Actors Say ‘Reverence for Scripture’ Is at the Heart of Their Portrayals
The creators behind House of David have outlined multiple seasons for the series, chronicling David's rise from a young shepherd boy to his reign as king. The eight episodes of Season 1 cover several biblical stories, including Samuel anointing David, Saul inviting David to play the harp, Saul's fits of rage, and David's triumph over Goliath. The first episode opens with a somber Samuel revealing to Saul that God had rejected him as king.
Most significantly, though, the series depicts David as a courageous, God-fearing man who is willing to die for the Lord who chose him to lead. It contrasts the self-serving ways of Saul with the humble, steadfast faith of David. Not insignificantly, the actor chosen to portray David -- Michael Iskander -- is slimmer and less brawny than his counterparts, mirroring what Scripture suggests.
"There is but one God," David tells a member of Saul's court who insists that "truth can be found in many places."
Learning that Goliath had spent 40 days mocking the tribal armies, David says to the Israelite soldiers in righteous anger, "Who is this giant to defy the armies of the living God?!" The David-vs.-Goliath battle -- the pinnacle of Season 1 -- is an awe-inspiring, hair-raising, God-honoring spectacle.
Iskander said "reverence for Scripture" is at the heart of the series. In one scene, David cites a verse from Joshua. Meanwhile, Iskander said he wanted to bring humanity to David's character. "I'm a Christian, but also, I didn't want to make him so much larger than life," Iskander told Crosswalk Headlines.
A new studio, Wonder Project, produced House of David. It was co-founded by Jon Erwin, who previously directed such faith-based movies as I Can Only Imagine and Jesus Revolution. Erwin believes the series can attract people of faith and non-faith. If it grows in popularity, he said, then "people who would watch something like Game of Thrones would end up watching this series."
Read 4 Reasons ‘House of David’ Is a Must-Watch for Faith-Based Audiences!
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Originally published February 28, 2025.