Killing Jesus

Killing Jesus dramatizes the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth against the political and social turmoil of the Roman Empire. From his birth, when King Herod orders the killing of young boys in Jerusalem and the infant Jesus escapes because his family has already left the city, the story moves forward roughly a quarter century to his preaching and the growing following around him. That popularity unsettles the authorities: Herod's son Antipas and the Roman governor Pontius Pilate worry about unrest, while Jewish religious leaders fear for their own standing. Out of these tensions comes a plan to eliminate him.

The film is based on the bestselling book by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard, and it was directed by Christopher Menaul. It followed Summer in February (2013) in his filmography. Walon Green wrote the screenplay, and the cast includes Haaz Sleiman as Jesus, Eoin Macken as Herod Antipas, Emmanuelle Chriqui as Herodias, Rufus Sewell as Caiaphas, John Rhys-Davies as Annas and Stephen Moyer as Pontius Pilate, with 21 credited performers in all. Made for television on a budget of about 12 million dollars, it runs 132 minutes and was produced through Scott Free Productions and Dune Films in the United Kingdom, Morocco and the United States.

Reception has been modest and divided. On IMDb the film holds 4.7 out of 10 from roughly 2,200 votes, while on TMDB it has 6.3 out of 10 from about 100 votes, a higher but much smaller sample.