The Nativity story is getting an intense new retelling this Christmas movie season.
USA TODAY has the exclusive debut of a new trailer for "Zero A.D.: The Birth of Christ,"
a biblical drama coming to theaters Dec. 11. Directed by Alejandro Monteverde ("Sound of Freedom"), Angel Studios' new take on Jesus' birth story stars Deva Cassel as the Virgin Mary, Jim Caviezel as villainous King Herod of Judea, and Sam Worthington as Herod's son Antipater.Monteverde tells USA TODAY that he wanted audiences to experience a familiar tale in "a completely new way." And it's such a recognizable narrative that the trailer begins with a signature aspect of the Nativity, with a manger as the birthing center. "Mary, this is where they keep the animals. I'll find
something else," Joseph (Jamie Ward) tells his wife. Her response: "It's perfect."
As an ethereal version of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" is sung in the background, the new footage sets the stage for the birth of Jesus, a messiah who is to lead the Jews out of darkness, but also how Herod the Great's rule is threatened by this person the prophets say will take his throne.
"You wish to prove your loyalty. You know how," Herod tells Antipater, ordering his soldiers to kill every first-born son in Bethlehem after Jesus is born. Mary and Joseph then have to run and hide to save their baby during the infamous Massacre of the Innocents.
Under a lot of makeup and almost unrecognizable as Herod, it's an intriguing role for Caviezel, who actually played Jesus at the end of his life in Mel Gibson's 2004 movie "The Passion of the Christ."
"Zero A.D." also stars Gael García Bernal as Mary's father Joachim, David Harewood as the wise man Balthazar, and Ben Mendelsohn as a dark, creepy character called Nahash.
"The more you fight, the closer I get," he hisses at Mary.
"As a filmmaker, I became fascinated by something I hadn’t really considered before: this is the story of a baby who was persecuted from the moment he was born," Monteverde says. "That gave the story an unexpected sense of danger and urgency.
But at its heart," he adds, "it is also a story about light emerging into a world filled with fear and uncertainty. That tension between darkness and light is what, in many ways, makes it a spiritual thriller."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: See the intense trailer for baby Jesus movie 'Zero A.D.' | Exclusive
