Good News Holdings Announces Film Plans For Anne Rice's Christ the Lord

Posted on April 4, 2007

Good News Holdings has announced that they are going to start shooting a film based on Anne Rice's novel Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt. Good News Holdings says shooting will begin in Israel this October. They are still casting the film and looking for a boy to play 7-year-old Jesus according to the release.

The Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles, Ehud Danoch said, "We are pleased that Good News Holdings chose Israel as the location for the making of this movie. Israel has much to offer filmmakers in general and is obviously the most suitable backdrop for films of a religious nature, specifically films dealing with Christian history."
David Kirkpatrick, co-founder of Good News Holdings said, "It was always important to Anne Rice that we make every effort to be authentic to the cultural context in which Jesus grew up. We felt the best way to match her exhaustive background research on Jesus' life and times was by shooting the film in Israel."
Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt tells the story of Jesus Christ at age seven as he and his family depart Egypt to return home to Nazareth. Told from his childhood perspective, it movingly celebrates the character and strength of the young Jesus as he grows into his religious identity. Its many highlights include Jesus coming to terms with the circumstances of His birth in Bethlehem and his growing realization of his calling. Set in a turbulent era against the backdrop of Roman domination, the story brings to life day to day Jewish life during the era of Second Temple Judaism. From the beauty of worship in the largest temple of the ancient world to the regular prayers and readings of Jewish family life, Rice's research included the latest publications in archaeology, geography and social history, as well as intense biblical study.

A director is not yet attached to the project. Anne Rice discusses Christ the Lord in a recent interview.