By Francesca Pollio-Fenton/CNA
A new series telling the story of King David, one of the best-known kings of Israel, will be released on Prime Video on Feb. 27. “House of David” depicts David’s rise from shepherd boy to king after King Saul falls victim to his own pride and the prophet Samuel has no choice but to anoint a new king.
The new historical drama series was created by Jon Erwin, known for films like “Jesus Revolution,” “I Still Believe,” and “I Can Only Imagine.” He also served as a writer and director alongside Jon Gunn, who directed “The Case for Christ” and “Ordinary Angels.” “House of David” is Erwin’s latest project produced by his independent studio, The Wonder Project, which caters to faith-based and values-oriented audiences.
“‘House of David,’ for me, began when I was 16 years old and I went to Israel with my dad,” Erwin told CNA in an interview. “He bought me my first camera with money he did not have and it was probably the greatest gift I’ve ever received. And we went to Israel to film this documentary visiting some of the holy sites called ‘In the Steps of Jesus.’”
While visiting the tomb of David, Erwin shared that he was left thinking: “What kind of life do you have to live that your words echo through the centuries?”
“Ever since then I’ve wanted to tell the story. So, every film I’ve been involved with or had a privilege of being a part of, it’s all about trying to gain the skills necessary to eventually tell the story of David,” he said. “I’m grateful to have any role in bringing this story to the screen let alone creating it.”
Erwin emphasized the importance of remaining true to Scripture in the retelling of the story of David and shared that at the foundation is “to love the material.”
“I truly, authentically love the story of David, the Psalms of David, the Bible itself; it’s a huge and fundamental part of my life and always has been,” he explained.
In addition to his authentic connection to and love of the story, Erwin turned to both Christian and Jewish scholars for input and guidance and to fill in gaps not provided in Scripture.
“I do remind people this is not Scripture,” Erwin said. “This is not the source material. This is a love letter to the source material. This is a television show, but I hope that it points people to the source material and I hope people take the same journey that I did … I have not read the Psalms this much. Talk about some beautiful, meaningful, poetic, honest words that really will bring great comfort to you no matter what you’re going through!”
Michael Iskander, the actor portraying David, echoed Erwin’s sentiments regarding the importance of Scripture while portraying this famous figure.
“Keeping in mind the reverence for Scripture and what he means biblically, I found myself reading the Psalms and the book of Samuel constantly just to be reminded of the true character of David and his heart and truly trying to find his heart in every single moment,” he told CNA.
Iskander emphasized the importance of “focusing on the reverence for Scripture” in approaching his portrayal of David.
“The Psalms of David are really powerful, and I hope people read them more and with new insight the way I have while making the series,” Erwin concluded.
You can watch CNA’s full interviews with the cast of ‘House of David’ below.
