Killing Jesus (2015 film)

Killing Jesus is an American television film inspired by the 2013 book of the same title by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. This is National Geographic's third installment of television adaptations of O'Reilly's non-fiction books, which include Killing Lincoln and Killing Kennedy. The cast includes Haaz Sleiman, Kelsey Grammer, Stephen Moyer, Emmanuelle Chriqui, and John Rhys-Davies.^[2]

Killing Jesus
Promotional poster
Genre	Docudrama Biography
Based on	Killing Jesus by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
Written by	Walon Green
Directed by	Christopher Menaul
Starring	Haaz Sleiman Kelsey Grammer Stephen Moyer Emmanuelle Chriqui John Rhys-Davies
Theme music composer	Trevor Morris
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Producers	Ridley Scott David W. Zucker Mary Lisio Teri Weinberg Mark Huffam
Cinematography	Ousama Rawi
Editor	Xavier Russell
Running time	132 minutes
Production company	Scott Free Productions
Original release
Network	National Geographic Channel
Release	March 29, 2015 (2015-03-29)[1]

It debuted on the National Geographic Channel on March 29, 2015.^[1]

Premise

The film chronicles the life of Jesus of Nazareth through the retelling of the political, social, and historical conflicts during the Roman Empire that ultimately led to his crucifixion.^[3]

Cast

• Haaz Sleiman as Jesus^[2]
• Alexis Rodney as Peter^[2]
• Joe Doyle as Judas Iscariot^[2]
• Aneurin Barnard as James^[2]
• Abhin Galeya as John the Baptist^[2]
• Rufus Sewell as Caiaphas^[2]
• John Lynch as Nicodemus^[2]
• John Rhys-Davies as Annas^[2]
• Stephen Moyer as Pontius Pilate^[2]
• Tamsin Egerton as Claudia^[2]
• Kelsey Grammer as Herod the Great^[2]
• Eoin Macken as Herod Antipas^[2]
• Emmanuelle Chriqui as Herodias^[2]
• Stephanie Leonidas as Salome^[2]
• Vernon Dobtcheff as Isaiah^[2]
• Klára Issová as Mary Magdalene
• Mehdi Pyro as Andrew

Development

In March 2014, it was announced Killing Jesus was being adapted into a four-hour miniseries, and Walon Green has been tapped to write and executive produce the project.^[4] Also returning as executive producers are Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, and Mary Lisio, who previously produced Killing Kennedy. In August 2014, Christopher Menaul was attached to direct the miniseries.^[5]

Reception

The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gave the series a 43% approval rating based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 5.70/10.^[6]

Viewership

On its premiere airing, the film was watched by 3.7 million viewers, averaging a 1.0 rating among adults in the 25-54 demographic. The viewership surpassed the record previously held by Killing Kennedy.^[7][8]

Accolades

Year	Association	Category	Nominee(s)	Result
2015	Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Movie/Miniseries	Killing Jesus	Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Television Movie		Nominated
2016	Satellite Awards	Best Miniseries or Television Film		Nominated

See also

• List of Easter films

References

1. Hipes, Patrick (February 18, 2014). "'Killing Jesus' Premiere Date Set For March 29 On Nat Geo – Full Trailer". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 19, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
2. Goldberg, Lesley (October 6, 2014). "Nat Geo's 'Killing Jesus' Cast Revealed (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
3. Oldenburg, Ann (October 6, 2014). "Kesley Grammer, cast announced for 'Killing Jesus'". USA Today. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
4. Andreeva, Nellie (March 17, 2014). "National Geographic's 'Killing Jesus' To Expand To 4 Hours, Walon Green To Write". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
5. The Deadline Team (August 7, 2014). "Christopher Menaul To Direct 'Killing Jesus' For Nat Geo & Ridley Scott". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
6. "Killing Jesus". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
7. O'Connell, Michael (March 30, 2015). "'Killing Jesus' Nabs Nat Geo Ratings Record With 3.7 Million Viewers". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
8. Maglio, Tony (March 30, 2015). "'Killing Jesus' Slays Nat Geo Record With 3.7 Million Viewers". TheWrap. Retrieved March 30, 2015.

External links

• Killing Jesus at IMDb