(The Lion) — A beloved king descending into madness. A rogue prophet with a secret mission. Soldiers questioning their orders. Rival kings seeking revenge. And an overlooked shepherd boy with a great destiny.
In the sensational new series House of David, the epic story of King David is brought to life, masterfully woven into a tale that is part political thriller, part action-adventure and part spiritual drama.
Season 1 introduces viewers to King Saul on the brink of his descent into madness and the youthful David, a musician and shepherd itching to follow his brothers to war.
When Season 2 begins, David has won his legendary battle with Goliath and must join the House of Saul – even though he has secretly been anointed to overthrow it.
Along his journey, David encounters many other familiar characters – Prince Jonathan, Samuel the Prophet, Abner, Michal and Uriah the Hittite, to name a few.
House of David was created by Jon Erwin, a veteran of faith-based films whose repertoire includes I Can Only Imagine, Jesus Revolution and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.
The series was produced by The WONDER Project and Amazon MGM Studies and released on Amazon Prime.
“For a platform this big to support us with the resources we needed to tell this story, and still allow us creative control, is unprecedented,” Erwin told The Christian Post. “The success of projects like The Chosen and Jesus Revolution created the space for something like this to happen.”
When the first season of House of David premiered in February, it quickly became a smash hit with over 44 million viewers from 240 countries.
“Our goal is not only to get it right,” Erwin explained, “but to deliver something that captures the spirit of the Bible while making the story come alive for a new generation.”
And he insists the quality of the storytelling will appeal to Christians and non-Christians alike.
“We’ve created a compelling, cinematic experience that stands on its own,” Erwin said. “For believers, we’ve worked hard to honor the sacred material, and for those who are skeptical, we’re confident they’ll still be drawn into the story.”
Much of the main cast is Israeli, enhancing the authenticity of the series. And Michael Iskander, who portrays David, is a devout Catholic for whom playing David is nothing short of a dream come true.
Iskander recalled watching The Chosen with his family as a teenager and hoping he could be involved in similar projects.
“They said, ‘Who would you play if you were on The Chosen,’” Iskander said. “And I said, ‘maybe King David.’”
When he got the chance to audition for House of David, Iskander’s mother encouraged him to fast and pray beforehand, and the rest is history. Now, Iskander is dedicated to viewing his character through a Biblical lens.
“I inform everything about David from Scripture and looking at not only his great moments but his tough moments,” he explained. “Just like all of us, we fall and we falter, but David is one who came back and recognized his mistakes and recognized his sins in front of God and asked for forgiveness and repented.”
But playing King David isn’t just a job.
“God chose David because of his humble heart,” Iskander continued. “And a humble heart is a heart that’s willing to follow God. It’s a heart that’s willing to listen to him and do as he commands.
“Once that clicked, I was like, ‘Oh, it’s not about me. It’s about him. I need to follow him and I need to listen to his commandments and I need to put myself aside,’” he concluded. “It’s a freeing thing to just put yourself aside and live for Christ.”
The finale of Season 2 will air on Amazon Prime on Sunday, Nov. 16. The show is rated 13+ for violence.
