"Shakespeare in Love" actor Joseph Fiennes has been cast in the title role of an upcoming religious film called "Clavius", formerly known as "Resurrection".
Fiennes will play an agnostic centurion dispatched by Pontius Pilate to investigate Jesus' resurrection, Patheos reports. The film is expected to be released around Easter 2015.
The Patrick Aiello-produced film follows the 50 days after Jesus' Crucifixion. There is growing unrest in Jerusalem, and Clavius must interview apostles, witnesses to the Crucifixion, and others as he searches for Jesus' body. Along the way, Clavius begins to question his own beliefs about the supernatural.
Tom Felton of "Harry Potter" fame will also appear in the film in an unspecified role, and the role of Pontius Pilate is currently being cast.
The success of religious films "Noah," "God's Not Dead," and "Son of God," have led to several other films of a spiritual nature getting the green light.
A film adaptation of Anne Rice's best-selling novel "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt" will begin production in September. Titled "Christ the Lord," the movie will be produced by Enzo Sisti, who also worked on "The Passion of the Christ".
"Christ the Lord" will follow the life of Jesus Christ as he discovers he is the Son of God, and travels with his parents from Egypt to Nazareth.
"Exodus: Gods and Kings" is coming in December 2014, and tells the biblical story of Moses—a Hebrew who was adopted by the Pharaoh's daughter and frees the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. Christian Bale plays Moses, and Sigourney Weaver, John Turturro, and Joel Edgerton round out the cast.
The rights to Reza Aslan's controversial book, "Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth," were bought by Lionsgate in December, and in January 2014, MGM announced that it was remaking the epic film "Ben-Hur." The 2015 version will focus more on Jesus in a parallel storyline, A.V. Club reported.
