Kelsey Grammer, Stephen Moyer to star in 'Killing Jesus'

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Haaz Sleiman, Kelsey Grammer and Stephen Moyer are to star in the upcoming television adaptation of Bill O'Reilly's best-selling book Killing Jesus, National Geographic Channel announced Monday.

Sleiman will play the titular religious leader in the Scott Free Productions project, while Grammer will play King Herod, the "unrelenting and ambitious Roman King of Judea, who attempted to kill Jesus at his birth," and Moyer will portray Pontius Pilate, "best known as the Roman governor who ordered Jesus' crucifixion," the cable network noted in a synopsis.

The cast will also include Rufus Sewell, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Eoin Macken, John Rhys Davies, Abhin Galeya, John Lynch and Stephanie Leonidas.

The project is filming this fall under the guidance of U.K.-based director Chris Menaul, with a teleplay from Oscar- and Emmy award-winning screenwriter Walon Green. It is expected to air next year.

"The film Killing Jesus will break new ground in chronicling the life of the most famous human being who ever lived," O'Reilly, who also serves as an executive producer, said in a statement. "The superb cast and script reflect much thought and research. Viewers are in for something very different and very special."

"The combined talent of this incredible cast is unparalleled, and we can't wait to see what this team of actors can do," added executive producer Heather Moran. "With this stellar cast and breathtaking script by Walon based on Bill's page-turner, we are going to explore the seismic political and historical events that surrounded the life and death of Jesus as never before."