December 19 is the release date for Zero A.D, formerly known as Bethlehem. 

The Angel Studios film, directed by Alejandro Monteverde (Sound of Freedom), explores King Herod’s part in the plot to abort the birth of Jesus Christ.

Some of the casting, which had been kept secret for strategic reasons since filming was announced last year, has now been revealed.

Press kits confirmed that the unrecognisable actor behind Herod is Jim Caveziel.

Zero A.D also bills three major Australian actors.

Avatar’s Sam Worthington plays Antipater, a soldier who refuses to play by Herod’s rules. 

Perth-born Jamie Ward takes on the mighty task of portraying Joseph, and Australian acting legend Ben Mendelsohn dons the role of Satan, portrayed by the dark character, Nahash (Hebrew for Serpent).

Italian actress Deva Cassel carries the role of Mary, with Gael García Bernal playing Mary’s dad, who, in early apocryphal writings, is referred to as Joachim. 

Details about the storyline are being closely guarded by the studio, and the actors are just as reserved.

Drawing on snippets posted by Angel online, it’s fair to say that Zero A.D takes its historical context from The Gospel According to Matthew. 

Specifically, chapters 1 and 2: The Advent, The Massacre of the Innocents, and the subsequent Flight to Egypt. 

The story arc appears to try to open a window into what was possibly happening behind the scenes. 

If so, it’s a curious look at how a God-hating aristocracy turned the epiphany into an apocalypse. 

The savvy Magi have just routed King Herod’s deceptive ploy to use them for intel on the infant King called Immanuel.

Frenzied and power drunk, he then launches an infanticidal mandate, ordering the murder of all male children aged 2 and under. 

An attempt to thwart the birth of the Messiah and the fulfilment of Biblical prophecy in Bethlehem.

To quote from teaser trailer: “who you fear He is, He is.”

A Deadline exclusive from November 2024 reported that Alejandro Monteverde was filming the epic in Morocco.

They dubbed Zero A.D a “profound spiritual thriller,” and described the film as a “reimagining of one of the most infamous stories in history.”

Hinting at a major Mary angle, the exclusive suggested that the storyline was about “an extraordinary woman doing anything she can to protect her newborn son from a king obsessed with finding and killing him.” 

Posting photos from the Moroccan set, Deadline then quoted Jordan Harmon – the Angel Studios boss – saying, “he was thrilled to see director Monteverde bringing the history to life.”

Harmon added that “when he first met Alejandro and experienced his passion for filmmaking, he felt like he had just encountered the next Frank Capra (You can’t take it with you, and It’s a Wonderful Life).”

Regarding Zero A.D’s budget, there’s no easy-to-locate information.

At least nothing outside speculation that Angel Studio’s backing of the film appears to rest on Zero A.D’s high-profile cast, Christmas 2025 release date, and Alejandro Monteverde’s surprise success with Sound of Freedom.

Starring Jim Caviezel, the anti-human trafficking film earned 251 million US dollars worldwide in 2023 and had an initial 14.5-million-dollar budget.

I think it’s reasonable to assume from this that Zero A.D’s budget will be bigger, if not close. 

The success of Sound of Freedom was no small feat. For the most part, Angel Studios is crowd-funded through its army of Angel Guild members.

Membership subscriptions fund films and content creators who, as Angel’s mission states, work to “amplify Light” and hope into a world gripped by darkness and despair.

True to form, Zero A.D promises to tick all those boxes, and more.