Zero A.D.: Passion of the Christ’s Jim Caviezel Transforms into King Herod for A New Nativity Epic
Jim Caviezel is unrecognisable as King Herod in Zero A.D., an Angel Studios epic set for release in December.
Speculation about the actor behind the historical figure was put to rest last month, when the studio platformed its press kit on X.
Zero A.D. is the Sound of Freedom star’s latest project with the subscription-based crowdfunding startup.
JIM CAVIEZEL is King Herod, the man who feared a baby more than an army.
ZERO A.D., coming to theaters 12.19.2025 A.D. https://t.co/Z31TtSOqWq
JIM CAVIEZEL es el Rey Herodes, el hombre que temía más a un bebe que un ejército.
ZERO A.D., llega a cines 19.12.2025 D.C.… pic.twitter.com/x0BZvYRB22
— Angel (@AngelStudiosInc) August 8, 2025
As I unpacked for Caldron Pool in mid-August, Zero A.D. also brings three major Australian actors into the faith-based conservative studio’s orbit.
Avatar’s Sam Worthington, newbie Jamie Ward, and seasoned veteran Ben Mendelsohn are all involved.
Worthington is Antipater, a soldier wary of Herod’s lust for power.
Ward plays Joseph, and Mendelsohn is Nahash (Hebrew for Serpent).
The role of Mary went to Deva Cassel, an Italian actress. Joachim, Mary’s dad (according to early apocryphal writings), is reported to be Mozart in the Jungle’s Gael García Bernal.
Due to industry standards on secrecy, the script is being closely guarded.
The actors are tight-lipped, even though the film’s status on Movie Insider is registered as completed.
What can be gleaned about the storyline comes from Angel Studios’ short synopsis and social media announcements, which state that the film is about a “brutal ruler fearing a prophecy and ordering the death of a child, one who will change history.”
The Biblical recount tackles the Magi, mass murder and the miraculous.
Take into account the film’s original title, Bethlehem, and Zero A.D. puts us in the vicinity of Matthew 1-2.
Zero A.D. zeros in on a behind-the-scenes look at Herod.
Specifically, his command to kill all newborn males in Bethlehem after the Magi ditched the King, and his clear contempt for Christ.
This is, entertainment magazine, The Wrap said, a “Nativity thriller”.
Mother and Child
Mary also takes centre stage, Deadline explained in an exclusive about the film.
According to them, Zero A.D. traces the acts of “an extraordinary woman doing anything she can to protect her newborn son from a king obsessed with finding and killing him.”
The Studio’s second short synopsis confirmed the storyline’s strong Mary angle.
This is about “a desperate mother defying an empire to protect her son—the child who will change history.”
She carried the Savior. But first, she carried the weight of the world.
DEVA CASSEL is Mary in ZERO A.D. In theaters 12.19.2025 A.D. https://t.co/Z31TtSNT6S
Ella llevó al Salvador. Pero primero, llevó el peso del mundo.
DEVA CASSEL es María en ZERO A.D. En cines el 19.12.2025… pic.twitter.com/cwsMBTHKjE
— Angel (@AngelStudiosInc) August 10, 2025
Notably, this will be a limited cinema release. Zero A.D. will go up against bigger budget productions such as Avatar: Fire and Ash and The SpongeBob Movie.
This is also Alejandro Monteverde’s second major project with Angel, and follows his massively successful anti-trafficking movie, Sound of Freedom (SOF).
Made with a 15-million-dollar budget, SOF reaped 251 million worldwide and raised a movement of people dedicated to ending human trafficking.
Zero A.D. will be the Studio’s seventh blatantly Christian offering to audiences hungry for higher-quality entertainment.
Previous big screen content includes the brilliant animated Dickensian take on The Gospels, The King of Kings, His Only Son, and Bonhoeffer.
(You can find my review of the Bonhoeffer film here.)
Angel Studios (formerly AngelVid) is largely funded by its streaming service and investors.
Known as Angel Guild members, subscribers increased to 1.5 million after the company rebranded in 2021.
Their mission, says Neal Harmon, is to “amplify light”.
Drawing from Phillipians 4:8, Harmon defined light as that which is “true, honest, noble, just, authentic, lovely, admirable, and excellent.”
Using Sound of Freedom’s success as an example of the company’s consistency, the Studio said that the box office hit sparked “long-awaited conversations about trafficking, and brought light to darkness.”
In this same sense, Zero A.D. isn’t just a Biblically sized retelling of history-altering events; it’s about retaking the culture for Christ.
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Great sleuthing Rod. Can’t wait to see the film!
Fantastic- can’t wait. So much good stuff happening!