Biblical Epic 'House of David' Series a Passion Project for Creator Jon Erwin, Lead Actor Michael Iskander
DALLAS -- Movie director Jon Erwin is someone who has had great success over the years. From October Baby way back in 2011 to Jesus Revolution and back to I Can Only Imagine, the Birmingham, Alabama native has always had a knack for finding and telling stories that resonate with people deeply for their foundational family values told through the lens of faith.
Erwin is also someone who is a collector and keeper of past memories that have developed into projects he is passionate about. One needs to look no further than his 2023 release Jesus Revolution starring Kelsey Grammer and Jonathan Roumie. Intrigued by a 1966 Time Magazine cover stating “Is God Dead?”, Erwin carried around the magazine in his computer bag for nearly a decade before turning that base idea into the aforementioned movie that generated $54 million at the box office.
His latest passion project is a new 8-episode limited series currently airing on Amazon Prime called House of David. Stemming from a vivid memory he had visiting Israel with his father at age 16, Erwin thought that one day he could make a sweeping, visually spectacular recreation on the life of King David from the Old Testament.
Starring Broadway actor Michael Iskander (Kimberly Akimbo), Ali Suliman (Jack Ryan, Arthur the King), Ayelet Zurer (Angels and Demons, Man of Steel), and Stephen Lang (Avatar: Way of the Water), House of David tells the story of the ascent of the aforementioned beloved Biblical figure, who eventually becomes the most renowned and celebrated king of Israel.
I recently sat down with Erwin and Iskander to discuss the critical importance of Biblical accuracy in retelling David’s story, why he is considered the first superhero in human history, and how this project humbled each of them.
Jon, it seems like many of your greatest ideas for film projects were birthed out of experiences you had as a youth. The idea for this project came from an experience you had in Israel as a teenager. The idea for Jesus Revolution came from a magazine cover you saw as a youth. Did you ever think that these inspirational moments would eventually play themselves out as projects for the world to see?
Jon Erwin: I think the lesson is that success is long obedience in the same direction. And these things take longer than you think if God's calling you to do something. And so, the journey to House of David began when I was 16, in Jerusalem with my dad, with my first camera. It was the Canon XL-1 for the nerds out there. And literally, the camera came in on a Wednesday and we left on a Friday. And the Bible just came to life in ways that were mesmerizing and just emotional. The stories just became real to me. And I began dreaming of it at that point. I wrote a script for David as a movie in 2012, long before the other films. That was quite a while ago.
But I needed the time to develop my craft as a filmmaker. And so I'm grateful for the time it took to get this story told. Jesus Revolution taught me that. I carried that magazine around in my bag for eight years in between other projects and just wanted to do it as a passion project. And it was the perfect time for the movie when it came out. And so a lot of times, the lesson is if God's calling you to do something, just don't give up. Just keep going. You never know when a breakthrough moment is right around the corner.
Why a video series over a movie for this one?
Jon Erwin: It's David's story, and Michael (Iskander) plays the young boy called to be king. This is a multi-decade saga. And there's just no other way to do it. You just can't do it as a movie. There's too much story there. As a fan of some of these great epic series, I felt like that was the way to tell this story. And of course, the success that Dallas (Jenkins) has enjoyed with The Chosen and his friendship and just being a fan of that show, that's where it started for Michael as well.
Michael, let me ask you, for every actor, there always seems to be a moment where you say to yourself, “I have to make this film!!” For House of David, what was that moment for you?
Michael Iskander: I think it was always on my heart to play King David. Jon (Erwin) touched base about this, but I was watching The Chosen three or four years ago, and I was so affected by it. It really just plucked at my heart. I told my family that I have this dream of playing King David one day. I didn't know when it would happen. I didn't know if it would happen, but I remember I got this audition and I knew that this was it. This was the shot, this was the dream that was a long time in the making. You put your faith in the Lord. My mom told me to fast and pray, and I did. And in the end, ultimately, we can only have so much control. We just need to put our trust in God that anything that happens in life is not up to us, but it's up to Him.
The story of David, is such a well known subject from the Bible and one that I believe that you need to get absolutely right so as to not alienate the faith community. What types of things did you do to ensure Biblical accuracy here?
Jon Erwin: First of all, you think about what television is. This is not sacred, this is not the Bible itself. This is a love letter to the Bible. It's a television series, but it's meant to drive people to the Bible. In the first episode, it covers three chapters of the Bible, and that takes about 15 minutes if you just read it. We're extrapolating that into eight hours of television. And so it's a wonderful process in the same way you'd read Biblical commentary. It's us wrestling with the material, and there's so many historians around the project. We have some of the very same people that consult on The Chosen. Theologians, rabbinic scholars, and you listen, you learn, and you study the text yourself. You do everything in your power to get the story right and to draw people to the source material itself.
Michael Iskander: I always have conversations about this topic of Biblical accuracy, especially when it comes to media. For me, it's important to remember that we don't live by the letter. We live by the spirit. And ultimately, we have to remember the spirit. And if we're making a TV show, in every scene, in every moment in the entire show, if the spirit is not there, then it's not worth anything. I think one of the amazing things that the Jons did, Jon Erwin and Jon Gunn (co-director), is that they made sure that the spirit of the show was there, and the Holy Spirit is, is speaking through the show. I think we have done a really amazing job in allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through the show.
David quite possibly could be one of our world’s first heroes in recorded history. Why is it so important to tell his story to contemporary audiences?
Michael Iskander: I think the story of David is one that is timeless. It's one that has resonated with people for forever. And even in the time of David, that's what caused the jealousy. The other aspect of it too, is that David was human. And for me, that's what I'm always trying to find. It’s the humanity and the mistakes that he made. But ultimately, what he did is he always came back to God. That's why we love him. It’s because he's just like us. We fall every single day, every moment. We're constantly falling, but we get back up and we go back to Jesus.
I’m going to put you on the spot here. From your perspective, what are the major themes of David’s story?
Jon Erwin: Good question. I've thought a lot about this. Why do we need heroes? This is in many ways the first hero's journey. The first destiny story. Luke Skywalker (Star Wars), I think, arguably has his roots in David. And so, I've thought about why do we love these stories? Why are they so pervasive and why do we need them? And I think it's because we're all wired to need a savior. I really do. I think we're wired to need a hero. And then also, I think we're all wired to seek out a destiny that is beyond our comfort zone and meaningful. We all want to think that we have some role to play in a story that's bigger than we are. And that's why I think we come back to these hero's journey stories. I think that's why they matter. So, I think that that is a theme. And as you make something, the themes develop. I didn't realize the theme of overcoming fear ended up being a throughline so critical to the whole story.
Michael Iskander: There's so many themes to draw from. For me, the theme this season was about courage. I remember on day one of filming, Louis Ferrera, the actor who plays Jesse, David's father in the show, one of his first lines was, “And God said to Joshua, do not fear for fear is the enemy. Fear is the curse.” And that verse, that concept of do not fear, showed up in so many different ways, in every nook and cranny for me. I think the ultimate lesson, the ultimate theme for me was to not fear. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is from Isaiah 41:10. And it says, “Do not fear for I'm with you. Do not be dismayed for I'm your God.” I think that's ultimately what we tackle this season. And with David overcoming his fear, finding the courage, and the love for God, that he's able to face a giant (Goliath).
Final question for you guys … after people have had a chance to hopefully watch the entire season of House of David, what would you like to see your audience get out of that experience? What's your greatest hope for this series?
Michael Iskander: Ultimately, I surrender to the fact that I have no control over what the audience is going to feel. That's the work of the Holy Spirit. For me, I'm just here to tell the truth. I'm just here to do my job and whatever God wants people to see, that's what will happen. I surrender that to God.
Jon Erwin: I speak to this not only as a content creator, but as a father first of all. I hope that people are entertained. I'm an entertainer. That's my primary job, of course. I hope that people are entertained. I'm making this show for my whole family. My youngest child is eight. And there's very few things that you can gather around and watch together. And so, even though the Bronze Age was a very rough time. And if you read the Old Testament, I'm making the version of the show, at least for me, I can watch with my family. But as a dad, I feel constantly like I'm failing in that, getting my kids aware of or interested in the Bible at all is really, really hard.
In this digital generation that we're in, my hope is that people would see the show and a curiosity would spark the same curiosity that happened when I was 16 years old in Israel. My hope is that they will read these stories again. I share this often, but there's a moment where some executives at Amazon read the first few scripts and thought these were really good scripts. I'm like, it's based on a bestseller. It'll change your life. You should check it out. I think the Psalms of David are just relatable words for whatever you're going through in life. And my hope is that people will see the show and then go back to these timeless words that will change your life if you let them. They really will.
Episodes 1-3 are now streaming on Amazon Prime, with one episode released weekly thereafter through April 3rd.
WATCH A TRAILER FOR HOUSE OF DAVID:
