A star-studded animated film on the life of Jesus Christ will debut in theaters around Easter 2025, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“The King of Kings” will feature former Star Wars co-stars Oscar Isaac, Mark Hamill and Forest Whitaker, as well as Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley, per IMDb.
What is ‘The King of Kings’ about?
“The King of Kings” is not a straightforward adaption of Bible stories about the life of Jesus Christ.
Rather, it is based on “The Life of Our Lord” by Charles Dickens, which was published in 1934 after the author’s death, per The Hollywood Reporter.
In “The King of Kings,” Charles Dickens, his son Walter and the family cat Willa will explore the story of Jesus Christ while reading through “The Life of Our Lord.”
Directed by Seong-ho Jang in conjunction with a South Korean company called Mofac Animation, “The King of Kings” will feature voice acting from some notable Hollywood stars.
- Oscar Isaac will voice Jesus Christ, according to Yahoo Entertainment.
- Fellow former “Star Wars” actors Mark Hamill and Forest Whitaker will play King Herod and the apostle Peter, respectively, per The Hollywood Reporter.
- Pierce Brosnan, who is best known for portraying James Bond, will do the voice of Pontius Pilate, who ordered the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
- Ben Kingsley, who had roles in “Exodus: Gods and Kings” and “Schindler’s List,” will voice Caiaphas, the high priest of the Sanhedrin that attended one of Jesus’s trials, according to IMDb.
“For the past 2,000-plus years, the story of Jesus has been told and retold in countless ways across virtually every country on the planet,” said Jang, the director, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “This is a deeply personal story to all of us on the production crew, and we know it resonates with so many around the world.”
Other Christian animated movies for kids
Sad to have to wait until next year for “The King of Kings”? Check out these other faith-based animated movies.
- “The Prince of Egypt”: Some critics consider this film to be one of the best faith-based movies of all time, per Religion Unplugged. “Prince of Egypt” tells the story of Moses leading the enslaved Israelites out of Egypt to the promised land that God has set apart for them.
- “The Star”: Sony’s “The Star” sets the classic nativity story to a soundtrack of Christian songs from notable artists like Mariah Carey, Pentatonix and Casting Crowns, according to Rotoscopers. Rather than the protagonist of the film being Mary or Joseph, it is Mary’s donkey, Bo, who leads us on the journey of Jesus Christ’s birth.
- “Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie”: VeggieTales has long been known for adapting Christian stories into episodes and films. This particular movie tells the story of Jonah and the whale, but with a fruity, vegetable-y twist, according to Crosswalk.
- “The Lion of Judah”: In this film, a lamb who has been set apart for the Jewish tradition of animal sacrifice joins up with his animal friends to attend the birth of Jesus in Jerusalem, according to Crosswalk. This film teaches about the meaning of Jesus’s sacrifice in a kid-friendly way.