up next, the bible as blockbuster. >> are you uh the messiah? >> another edition of "dateline" from my colleague natalie morales. i'm lester holt. thanks for joining us. get ready. it's hollywood's newest extravaganza with a story that's all the rage. >> jesus is the ultimate superhero. >> my kingdom is not of this world. >> it was heartbreaking. but he had to go through it. >> the bible as blockbuster. tonit we take you inside one of the biggest trends in entertainment. >> people really connect with this character. i think it speaks to a deeper need. >> and they are the surprising power couple behind it. >> we are jokingly referred to as hollywood's noisiest christians. >> the king of reality tv. >> he has an imagination nobody else has. >> and a former tv angel with a new empire built on faith.

>> a hundred million people watched the bible series. these guys are history makers. >> why do you think you have this calling? >> this began as a whisper in our hearts and became a roar. >> tonight the premooer of a whole new chapter and verse. >> you dare to believe? >> this story i don't think has ever been told before. >> there is something mysterious, something curious. >> p so powerful. so moving. >> is this the biggest, boldest epic yet is this. >> "house of cards" meets "game of thrones" wrapped up in the bible. >> bible stories, the new blockbusters. good evening, everyone. i'm natalie morales. on this easterer sunday, a look at the divine inspiration that seems to be taking over hollywood. the good book has always been a good source of material. the biblical epic is as old as hollywood itself. the latest launching tonight on nbc is a story you actually may not know.

what happened after the death of jesus? how christianity spread from one man to 12 apostles to eventually 2 billion people. it's nothing short of a revelation. it's earth shaking, a ground swell. the premiere tonight of a.d. the bible continues is just the latest in an explosion of religious and biblical programming on television and in the movies. >> there is a tremendous interest in religion-based programming. nothing succeeds like success. so people look at the other successful stories and say, well, they did it. we should do it as well. >> and they are. he needs no agent, no limo or private jet, but in many ways, god is the biggest star in hollywood right now. >> i think it's true. god is back. >> in the weeks leading up to easter and passover, biblical and religious themes have been

all over tv. candida moss of the university of notre dame. >> what we are seeing is networks realizing that people want to watch this if it's done right. if it's done in a way that's compelling and engaging. >> just this week, cnn continued finding jesus, faith, facts and forgery. a series about holy relic ss ss more than tripling its sunday audience. national geographic channel had it biggest ratings ever with "killing jesus" based on the bill o'reilly martin dugard book. cbs aired a two-part series the dove keepers about the jews who held out against armies of romans in the first century p.m. how will we defeat them? >> we fight. >> even the weather channel chimed in with "top ten bible weather." and the forecast for the future is more of the same. variety senior critic scott founder.

>> you can argue that jesus is the ultimate superhero. >> forbes senior editor zack o'malley greenburg. >> how do you get into the superhero boom? to me, the answer is turn to the public public domain. what better place than the bible? >> there is a history of hollywood and the bible. way back in the silent era, hollywood mined the bible for story ideas. the 1927 epic "the king of kings" was a big budget blockbuster with some sequences even shot in color. in the '50ss "the ten commandments" and a few years later "ben hur" were smash hits and oscar winners. >> it was a wayer for hollywood to show off what all of its creative departments could do. biblical pov vis call for elaborate chaos tombs, big sets, crowd scenes. >> i was good, wasn't i?

>> in the 1990s, network television was also home to reare lijs-based programming. for example, "touched by an angel" starring roma downey and della reese. it was a huge hit. some weeks more than 20 million viewers watched the show. over time, by and large, religious themes went out of fashion. that changed in 2004. mel gibson, a movie star the and oscar winning director, wanted to make a film about jesus called "the passion of the christ." even he couldn't get funding. >> he ended up doing it himself. it was a $30 million independent production. it ended up making more than $600 oh million at the global box office spp despite the controversy over the graphic portrayal of the crucifixion and accusations of antisemitism it was a worldwide mega hit. >> that was a huge wake-up call that said maybe the time has come for us to look at biblile call subjects again.

>> father james martin is the author of "jesus, a pilgrimage" and writes about american culture. >> it's not that suddenly everyone in hollywood is enamored of jesus christ. everyone in hollywood is always enamored of money. be honest. >> two years ago came one of the most unlikely biblical success stories of all from one of the most unlikely couples of all. roma downey, star of "touched by an angel" and her husband, producer mark brunett of reel al ti tv fame. from the green carpet of lawn at their malibu with home they saw something everyone else had been missing. roma downey had an idea born out of belief as much as business. how about making the bible a min series? >> there is a saying that god doesn't always call the qualified.

but he always qualifies the called ed called. this began as a whisper in our hearts and became a roar. >> as an alumni of oh "touched by an angel" roma downey would have had a strong sense that there is a passionate community out there craving these kind of stories. >> downey and burnett thought it was an answered prayer. >> i think we felt a calling on our hearts to do this work with. over a cup of tea we decided to move forward with this. >> given hollywood's reluctance to make faith-based shows they knew it could be a big risk. and despite the couple's huge success in tv when they pitched their bible idea they got about the same response mel gibson received. >> when you went to the networks and you tried to sell them on it, they thought you two were crazy. what are they saying now? >> yeah. . i think in those early days, many people here in hollywood thought we had lost our minds, that no one would want to see the bible on tv.

>> it has begun. >> roma downey's instinct turned out to be right and heads turned all over hollywood. >> the ratings for "the bible" were off the charts. i don't think anyone expected those kinds of ratings. >> in total, 100 million viewers watched the ten episodes on the history channel. it averaged more than 11 million viewers a week. after the bible series and the spin-off movie "son of god" mark burnett and roma downey became the acknowledged king and queen of religious tv programming and film. >> i think it speaks to a deeper need that the public has to connect with the word, to connect with hope, to feel closer to god. >> with their newest project "a.d., the biblen continues" nbc is doubling down on bible-based programming. >> blessed are they who have not seen me.

>> if you had come to me sand said somebody was going to invest ungodly amounts of hundred in creating jerusalem and moracco and air every sunday for 12 sundays i would say you were out of oh your mind. >> bill carterer. >> i think what nbc was reacting to was the enormous audience for "the bible." i think they looked at this as a pretty good risk with a producer they believed in. >> for those who are not believers or ss ss or do not that faith in their lives what do they get out of the series? >> think "a.d." is really a dramatic, epic series dealing with the first couple of decades after the resurrection of oh jesus. so in modern day terms the politics, such maneuvering, the series is kind of like "house of cards" meets "game of thrones" wrapped up in the bible.

>> our father in heaven -- >> burnett is set is heing the bar pretty high. but they are used to beating the odds, especiallier considering where they came from. coming up -- >> you have said once perhaps she would have been throwing rocks at you. >> i might have been throwing a stone at you. >> the angel, the military man. >> he was the equivalent of a navy s.e.a.l. basically. >> and a romantic moment right out of the movies. >> oh, no, you didn't. >> i did. yes, i did. >> when "dateline" continues. nda busy. i got kfc's new barbeque chicken & rice bowl. hand pulled honey barbeque chicken and rice, cheese, cookie drink - 5 bucks! you got me beat i guess... or you don't because i got a tex-mex chicken and rice bowl. crispy chicken and fresh pico de gallo. we tied. who are we going to make fun of? gary. hey gary, wanna play who won lunch? i don't think gary wants to play. i've been there gar. ♪

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faith-based community by storm actually began their lives on opposing sides of a deep religious divide. mark grew up prostestant in england and was a para trooper in the army. r are oma downey was catholic in the '60s and '70s in ireland. the british military was looked on as an occupying army by many catholics. for downey, it got worse. her mother died suddenly of a heart attack. >> my own mother passed away when i was just a little girl. that was probably the single most traumatic thing that could have happened in my life. it was as if the lights were

turned out. she was gone. >> you were only 10? >> i was 10, yeah. then i was raised by my dad. a really wonderful father. my dad had a very strong faith. >> you never questioned your faith when your mother passed away so young? >> no. i was so grateful for the comfort that my faith brought to me. >> mark, you served in the military in the uk. had you met her back then when she was a little girl, i think you have said a once perhaps she would have been throwing rocks at you. >> yeah. i might have been throwing a stone at you. when i was a little girl all the catholics lived on one side. all the protestants lived on another. never the twain did meet. >> a tough childhood. then when she was 20 her father died. by then she had decided to become an actress and first came to the u.s. to work oh on the broadway stage. >> how do you do? >> my husband. >> it wasn't long before she got her big break playing none other

than jacquelyn kennedy oh that sis in "a woman named jackie". >> love doesn't hide. >> that role eventually led to "touched by an angel." her stature as a beloved figure, not only with tv audiences, but especially in the faith-based community. >> "touched by an angel" was a show that in addition to being popular, it had fan tall fan base. i'm sure she encountered that not just in promoting the show but in everyday life. >> mark burnett had a different path to success. >> he was the equivalent of a navy s.e.a.l. basically in england. came out of that not knowing what he wanted to do with his life. >> he eventually came to los angeles to seek his fortune. he sold t-shirts on venice beach, sold insurance, and even worked in malibu as a male nanny, a manny. squirrelling away money, he worked his way into tv production. he created a show around a

competition called "eco challenge" and later pitched the american version of a show called "survivor". >> the head of cbs thought it sounded like the worst program he had ever heard of. >> burnett got the show on the air when he assured cbs the network wouldn't lose money. >> that was part of his original deal. they gave him a limited budget of $35,000 a show initially, i think. >> to cover the budget shortfall he went to sponsors and got them to pay to place their products in the show. >> his success is really a function of two things. one, he was incredibly dogged. also, he can sell ice to eskimos, this guy. he's a great sales man and presents himself well. >> what do you think it was that allowed you such success? >> i don't know. just doing, you know? probably to a certain extent fear is a driver for lots of people.

my business driver was the fear of looking back and having not done something significant. >> he shouldn't have worried. they both had big hits. >> at the same time we had on cbs "touched by an angel" and "survivor" and the only show beating "survivor" was "touched by an angel". >> professionally they were successful. in their private lives, not so much. both had gotten divorced. then in 2004, maybe it was a tip from heaven, they met in a rather unromantic place -- a los angeles hair salon. >> we met in the mirror. i was getting my hair cut. as i left i just said, who's that? they said, oh, it's roma downey. then before i called i was so they are vous of the rejection. ile called back and asked the receptionist to say if heel calls you, will you go out with him? >> you didn't. >> yes, i did. yes, i did.

i like to win. i didn't want to be rejected. >> they fell in love. they were married in 2007 by roma's former costar of "touched by an angel," della reese who is an ordained minister. downey had a daughter. burnett had two sons. >> you blended your families. has it always been easy or have there been difficult times as well is this. >> no. we were very fortunate. i think the age of our children when we got together was great. they were all little. they have become the best of friends. >> while they were building their life together, mark was continuing to build his reality tv empire. along with "survivor" he developed "shark tank," "the voice" and "the apprentice" with donald trump. >> i have known people over the years who had great success and become monsters. hark has not changed. probably because he believes in god and he knows what we are doing right now, maybe it's not so important.

>> and some long-time observe ers think roma downey had a lot to do with that. >> i know she influenced him. it's part of your daily conversation. she's a believer. a deep, deep believer. i think he's all in. >> the so-called father of reality tv as they calle you you, the dog eat dog the world of oh survivor competitions and the apprentice, do you think it is changing to more reflective work and -- >> noel. >> no. >> no because with "survivor" you can eliminate other people you are working together with. in the it's the very people you eliminated have are to grant you the gift of a million dollars prize. there is a big payback. in the end being smart and not being ruthless pays off. some people probably think the christian audiences sit in church all day long.

they watch "the voice," "shark tank," go to nfl games, watch "dateline." it is a normal audience. >> thank you for "dateline." >> they just happen to know that jesus is resurrected and is alive. >> in their biggest project ever, they are telling a story rarely told. what happened in the days and years after that first easter? the story of the movement that changed the world. coming up -- some surprises in the story you think you know . >> there are a lot of exciting things that happened. ship wrecks and magical hander which i haves and prison escapes subpoena. >> inside the making of a thorough ly modern messiah. >> we have an hispanic jesus, an african mary ma dwrks d arksmagdalene, african james and philip. so what are you gonna do with your old phone? i'm giving it to my sister emily. she gets all my old hand-me-downs. oh i'm into bedazzling too.

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i think we have a little clip to show. just a one-minute clip to sowhow you what "a.d." will look like. >> for nearly two years now. >> roll camera, action. >> roma and mark have been involved in the biggest project they have ever conceived. >> are you the messiah? >> i am. >> "a.d., the bible continues" is a story rarely told. it begins with the crucifixion and resurrection of jesus and follows his disciples through the next two decades.

it is based on acts of the apostles in the new testament. >> rise up and walk. >> which is also known as the book of acts. candida moss of the university of notre dame was an adviser on "a.d." >> it is what happens to the church after jesus's death. how does it get going? how does it start? how does the missionary process that we call christianity begin? >> it began with the apostle peter who became the first leader of the church. with saul, later known as paul, who at first persecuted christians, then did a complete 180 and became one. with the a postpostle john and with mary magdalene, one of jesus's most devoted followers, and it turns out mischaracterized over the centuries. father james martin. >> mary magdalene was definitely not a prostitute. she was the only one who understood the mystery of the resurrection.

you could say for a time, for a few hours mary magdalene was the entire church. >> that church was at the center of a political and religious storm. the roman authorities, led by pontius pilate. >> grant each request. prevent them from wrapping their fingers around us. >> and the jewish high priest were with trying to track down followers of jesus. the setting, jerusalem, in the land of judea, modern day israel. >> jerusalem is the capital of the jewish people. at the same time it's occupied by the romans. we have a lot of religious unrest are.un rest rest. >> unrest and fear. terrified, jesus's followerers huddled together in safehouses. >> they saw their leader was crucified and was executed as an enemy of the state. they were some of his followers. so is not surprisingly they are fearful that the roman authorities will find them as well. >> then, according to the acts

of the apostles, the holy spirit came upon the disciples at pentecost. >> give us today our daily bread. >> and they were inspired to recruit more followers. >> now, spread his word system they go from the small cluster of dedicated followers to starting this big missionary movement. they do it through one-to-one contact, through inviting people to meals and telling them about jesus. >> join us. you, too, will receive the holy spirit. >> silence them now. >> as the christian movement grew, jesus's disciples faced dramatic moments. >> there are a lot of exciting things that happened, shipwrecks and magical handkerchiefs and things like that, prison escapes. >> as "a.d." shows, christianity began to grow at the same time the roman empire was spreading powerfully across the middle east. >> rome built 2500 miles of roads in and out of this region for trade and money.

>> the very roads became the communication system where the message of the word, the gospel was able to spread throughout the world. >> by the way, the same roads which were like the internet of their day that backfired on rome. >> downey and burnett wanted the miniseries to be as close to the scripture as possible. but the book of acts doesn't offer a lot of detail. >> in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit. >> how do you stay true when there is not a lot of scripture really to guide you in the birth of the church? >> absolutely this is critical to us. bringing the book of acts to the screen. brings with it a huge responsibility and one that we took very seriously. we worked with a big board of advisers, scholars, theologians and pastors. >> dozens of experts reviewed

the script. cardinal donald worl of the archdiocese of washington, d.c. was one of them. >> i think what they did was to take the scenes that are therecontextua will l arkscontextualize them. >> it is potentially a touchy issue. >> besides getting the story right downey and burnett wanted the key places like jerusalem and the people who lived there right, too. >> jerusalem was a crossroads of trade from africa, from the east, from europe. so all cultures and races combined in jerusalem which was the most economically important place this the world. >> for the producers, finding the cast members to fill their jerusalem was an especially sensitive issue. because they learned a big les son with the bible miniseries. >> we did hear back from our oh african-american church friends

that the casting was a little white. and we could have done a better job on the casting. we took that to heart. we decided if we get through that would make what we see on the screen in the cast reflective of our society at large. and now we've got a hispanic jesus, an african john the beloved, african mary magdalene, african james and philip. >> i think it is important people are able to turn their tell vegas set s on and see themselves in this story. >> i commend them. but i do believe that it could go even further. >> pastor william h. lamar, iv of washington, d.c. supports shows like "a.d." and thinks maybe it's time for more african-american film makers to tackle biblical stories sp. >> but if if i'm serious about

it i need to get the money and the people to produce something the way i want id to be seen. i need to go get spike lee and we need to do something ourselves. >> mark. action. >> last fall burnett and downey did it their way with scripts finally ready, the cast and crew headed off on a film making pilgrimage to the moracco decert. coming up, all quiet on the set? not so much. >> you get huge swarms of flies and all you can hear is -- [ spits ] and cut! >> the cast with surprising tales from the desert. >> three marys, 36 disciples. >> we would bump into each other, the different jesuss. one of those guys who just can't stop talking. i was downloading a movie. i was trying to download a movie. i have verizon. i don't. i get that little spinning wheel. download didn't finish. i finished the download. headphones on. and i'm safe. i didn't finish in time.

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as the crew began to assemble on location in moracco, they saw this -- cirrhus clouds that seemed to form a cross in the sky. some took it as a sign. down below, there were more earthly concerns, like building jerusalem. r are o roma and marker ordered up a city from scratch. >> we created the temple of jerusalem and the streets around jerusalem circa a.d. 33.

it took hundreds of workers months working almost a seven-day week in the hot desert to build this in time. >> the conditions weren't easy, to say the least. for six months more than 200 cast and crew members were out many the desert, uncomfortable in 100-degree heat during the day and 40-degree chill at night. while the 12-part series focused on the intercession of the holy spirit there were times they could have simply used some insect repellant. >> action! >> the sprawling set was filled with goats, chickens and donkeys. >> with that combination you get huge swarms of flies. >> adam levy played the apostle peter, the first leader of the early church. he won't forget the distractions while playing this powerful scene with john. >> it's incredibly intense. all you can hear is --

[ spits ] -- and eventually, oh! cut. then we have to cut because the flies just get to you. by the end of it you think, oh, you know, i need to swat them away. >> worse than that, there were the snakes, hundreds of them. each time the cast was shooting outside, they had to have a special assistant. >> he's very cool as a cucumber, picks up the snake, puts him in his bag and releases them somewhere safe, away from the crew and the actors. >> chipo chung plays mary magdalene. the process was serious. the process of making it was often anything but. >> we have had the most wonderful, fun and hilarious cast, the company members. then there is a warmth to africa. >> not to mention there was a competition of biblical proportions. at the same time a.d. was

shooting, two other major religious productions were being filmed nearby. killing jesus and finding jesus. she says the local hotel became something of a new testament crossroads. >> this is like absolutely bizarre. there were three marys around, 36 disciples, three peilates. >> and of course three jesuses. in a.d. he's portrayed by juan pablo dipacci. >> we would bump into each other. >> there were three pontius pontius pilate. he was a man in deep conflict about what to do with jesus. >> there is only one small scene between pilate and jesus. it was added. it wasn't in the first script. i spoke to the guys and said you have pontius pilate and jesus on set.

you don't have a scene together. they scripted a scene where pilate asks jesus "what is truth" because he's fascinated by jesus christ. he's the most enigmatic man pilate has met. >> on set, roma downey and mark burnett urged them to come up with a personal interpretation of the role. chung was moved by the opportunity to play mary magdalene. >> at the most p terrifying time for jesus and his followers there was one person who truly believed and then who was a witness. it was a woman. >> actors get a chance to play such important biblile call characters. even fewer get to play perhaps the most sacred role of all. coming up, jesus on the cross. >> i just remember looking around and just getting that

weird vision of what he must have looked at. that was so powerful, so moving.

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clear the floor. >> hundreds of actors and crew were the in the hot desert,

days of christianity. the story begins with the crucifixion and resurrection of jesus. for juan pablo di pace, the role was a serious and sacred responsibility. before shooting the crucifixion scene he left the rest of the cast and took off on his own. >> i did voluntarily. i felt like i had to and so i went to the desert on my own. i slept under the stars for three nights before going to shoot. i just kind of decided i need to find this place where i can just center myself. you're hanging from a harness. >> the crucifixion scene was emotional, painful, and somehow wonderful. >> the sun is baking. but i just remember looking around and just getting that

weird vision of what he must have looked at from that point of view. and that was so powerful, so moving. i would do it over and over and over again. it was just a beautiful thing to be given that honor to have that point of view. the moment where he looks up at the sky and he has this moment with his father, the clouds gathered above were so stunning that it was little rally like i was talking to my father. >> roma downey was often on set to lend emotional support. but even before filming was done she and her husband turned from producers to evangelists, spreading the word of their new project to the faithful. it didn't just involve premieres and interviews. they did something largely unheard of.

they brought "a.d." to fans gathered at mega churches all over america. to texas -- >> thank you. >> to oklahoma. >> mark burnett and roma downey are heroes to us. >> and california. >> what's really gratifying is to feel and see the exhibition of support. we are making it easier for people of faith to stand up and be noisier. we are jokingly referred to as hollywood's noisiest christians. hey, we own that. >> nobody has ever been smarter, in my experience, working in television than mark burnett. he's a fantastic, strategic marketing person. >> they are amazing people. >> at lakewood church this houston with a weekly attendance of more than 40,000 rkjoel osteen praised their work while millions more watched on tv.

>> a hundred million people watched the bible series, the son of god movie. these guys are history-makers, world changers, friends of ours, friends of the ministry. >> downey and burnett were quick to see mega churches were powerful markets for their message. >> mega churches are a response to people's desire for not only god but community. they provide a lot of oh things that traditional and more main stream churches do not which is a sense of welcome, a sense of joy. >> and they are super sophisticated. for instance, life church in oklahoma city has a state of the art global operations center that tracks 22 campuses across the country and tallies downloads of the bible apps, now well over 170 million worldwide. >> one thing we are with aware of is that just being christian doesn't give you the right to make crappy content.

>> at several churches, downey and burnett held a series of screenings of "a.d., the bible continues". >> their audience is not necessarily the audience that's going to respond to a full page ad in the new york times or a big billboard on sun set boulevard. the word is going out in a kind of word of mouth, grassroots fashion. it's been hugely successful. >> in southern california they were at saddleback church, home of the best-sellinger inging author, pastor rick warren. >> this sold out. >> pastorer warren said he would recommend any of their work including "with a.d." >> the stories are powerful. you don't need to teach, preach. you just let the story speak for itself. >> it's very, very important for the congress allegations to see we are not sitting back in los

angeles, in hollywood and sending out our work. we are showing up up this person to meet people. >> burnett and downey are well aware that not all religion-based tv shows and films are a guaranteed success. their own miniseries "the dove keepers" was something less than a spash onmash on cbs last week. two major film releases last year -- "exodus" and "noah" faced criticism and lack of support from church groups who dis approveapproved of the way they told the bible story. >> "noah" and "exodus" though they are perfectly on point in the titles, something really important about not changing the text. >> what is truth? >>they have invested two years and millions of dollars in "a.d." now burnett and downey are waiting to see if the big risk will pay off.

coming up, from one audience to another, the francis factor. >> i know people who say they will love this guy. >> an emotional meeting with pope francis that didn't quite go as planned. >> i made a tremendously big faux pas. >> the pope just smiled and said, hey. >> when "dateline" continues. you've got some work to do! if you need me, i'll be cleaning the gutters. today, the house won't know what hit it. show the garage who's boss. check. put a new shine on the family wheels. check. tame the jungle you call a yard. check. nice work guys. you earned this back. oh, who's jeremy...and he texts a lot. a new mobile plan. done. with everything you need for spring at walmart's low prices you can trust every day, what project will you take on?

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>> roma downey and mark burnett are about to see if their huge investment in "a.d. the bible continues" pays dividends. some observers say the couple and nbc have taken a risk with the project. >> if there is a risk, it is that there is a slightly less known commodity than the narrative of jesus which everybody knows. >> you always take a risk in dramatic programming when you don't have your big star. in this case your big star has left the scene. jesus has moved on. >> good morning. >> some pastors believe a.d. and the other religious programs might prod some in the audience to learn more. >> people in this nation don't have the biblical literacy they once had. so there is an opportunity to give this story new life and to tell the story to a 21st century audience. >> some think part of the reason

for the boom in programming this season might be called the francis effect. pope francis stirred interest in religion and the catholic church worldwide. >> pope francis's effect on the church and the world wo is inestimable. i know people who say jewish, muslim, athiest say i love this guy. >> recently roma downey and burr it in had a meeting with the pope set up by the archbishop of washington, d.c. >> it was a very happy moment to present them to pope francis. i think they were as one would expect, as they should have been, somewhat moved by this. >> oh, it was the pope of hope. it was just an incredible experience. he's an extraordinary human being. i was really overwhelmed with emotion >> there was a little bit of a glitch, captured in this framed photo in their living room.

>> when we showed up roma had a white coat on. everybody else there looked like what is this lady wearing? apparently there is a rule. one thing you don't wear when you go see the pope is white. the pope just smiled and said, hey. >> i didn't know. apparently i made a tremendously big fashion faux pas. if i ever get the chance to go again i won't wear ivory. i promise. >> opened the tomb and stole his corpse. >> as "a.d." is set to premiere -- >> it is the third day. >> producers downey and burnett are onto their next big project. they are doing a feature film remake of this 1959 classic "ben hu rrk". >> it is action packed. there is a generation who don't know this story. when we told our kids they said ben who? >> as for the couple's personal

religious beliefs, downey is a devout roman-catholic. burnett describes himself simply as christian. they say their denomination isn't importantment it is. it is their shared love of god. they are reflecting on their faith. >> do you believe what happens in the after life? do you believe if going to heaven ? >> absolutely. yes lt i mean, i'm so comforted and i'm given such hope by believing in heaven. i believe with all my heart that i will be reunited in some form with my beloved mother and my dad. >> mark, were you always such a strong person of faith as well? or did ro ohma help deepen that faith? >> yeah. roma helped deepen it. working the last five years every day has helped deepen it. >> we pick up the bible throughout the day to read the word, to be close to the word.

of course we go to church on sunday. >> reading the bible every day is part of the job. >> they also see charity as part of the job. recently the couple donated more than $1 million to the cradle fund which is helping inging iraqi and syrian refugees terrorized and displaced by isis. this easter the humanitarian crisis in the region is a huge concern. >> you both are so involved with your foundation. how do you explain how a merciful god allows such suffering in the world? >> well, you know, i think there are many things in the bible but romans 5:3 is so true, which paul wrote which is, you know, suffering creates perseverance. that perseverance creates character. and character creates hope pt as long as we have hope, we have everything. >> perhaps the per effect

message for this easter sunday. that's all for this edition of "dateline." "a.d., the bible continues" is next on nbc. . pilate: truth? what is truth? [ breathing heavily ] caiaphas: many here have seen you employ demons to heal and call it the work of god! [ indistinct shouting ] [ shouting stops ] many heard you say you would destroy the temple and in three days build another.