“Zero A.D.” is coming soon to a theater near you!
In this faith-based film — arriving on Dec. 19, just in time for Christmas — actor Jim Caviezel, with the help of a great deal of make-up, becomes the villain: Herod the Great.
From Angel Studios, “Zero A.D.” is the latest film from director Alejandro Monteverde and tells the story of Herod’s order to slaughter innocent children up to the age of 2 years old in his desire to hold onto power and thwart a prophecy.
The Slaughter of Innocents is described in the Matthew 2:11-18: “Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men” (verse 16).
“Zero A.D.,” originally titled “Bethlehem,” was filmed last year in Morocco, The Wrap reported.
“It looks like the kind of old fashioned religious epic that used to be a regular part of Hollywood’s output but has dwindled in recent decades,” the outlet said.
Mary is played by Deva Cassel, and Joseph is played by Jamie Ward.
Actor Sam Worthington plays Herod’s son, Antipater, and actors Ben Mendelsohn and Gael Garcia Bernal are also in the cast.
Caviezel also starred in the “Sound of Freedom” — directed by Monteverde and released by Angel Studios. That movie brought in over $251 million dollars in 2023, making it one of the most successful independent films in history.
One commenter on the trailer of “Zero A.D.“ shared that it looks to be just as “visually stunning.”
Other comments indicate that there appears to be growing excitement for its release.
In speaking of Caviezel’s role as Herod the Great contrasting with his role as Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ,” one Facebook commenter jokingly shared, “You either die the hero or live long enough to become the villain.”
Another Facebook commenter noted the extreme differences in Caviezel’s role as a savior of children in “Sound of Freedom” verses the killer of innocents as Herod the Great in “Zero A.D”: “From Jesus to an Agent to Save Kids to King Herod Jim is quite the actor to play such Contradictory Rolls! God Bless Him!”
In the evolution of Caviezel’s movie roles, he has twice been a savior, and now the time has come for the him to be the villain, Herod the Great, who murdered children in order to appease a personal desire of holding onto power and subvert a prophecy from God.
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