Lionsgate will make a movie based on Reza Aslan’s “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth,” the studio said on Wednesday. It has acquired the feature film rights to the book, a New York Times best-seller about Jesus’ life and the various religious perspectives of one of history’s most famous figures.
“Reza Aslan has written a remarkable book that manages to bring the ancient world into contemporary relief and to make a timeless story very timely,” Erik Feig, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group’s President of Production, said in a statement. “We are excited to create this uniquely cinematic and immersive world for moviegoers to experience.”
The book gained a lot of attention after some knuckleheads at Fox News questioned why Aslan, a Muslim, could be trusted to write a book about Christ.
Aslan is well-respected scholar whose previous book, “No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam” was also a best-seller.
Feig will oversee the project for the studio with Gillian Bohrer and James Meyers. Lionsgate made the deal with UTA, Elyse Cheney and attorney Michael Schenkman.
The post Lionsgate to Make a ‘Zealot’ Movie About Jesus appeared first on TheWrap.
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