How Both Fantasy And History Are Balanced in ‘House of David’

At Religion Unplugged, we talk a lot about how faith shows up in modern movies and tv shows. More and more, we are noticing a positive shift. Movies about religion are getting better funding, booking high-profile actors and holding their own at the box office.

One of the projects that fits this category is Amazon’s “House of David.”

“House of David” follows the Biblical epic that is the life of King David, which has, so far, traced his journey from an unknown shepherd boy to a great warrior who slays the giant Goliath — all while an errant, but complex King Saul rules the Israelites. The show stars Michael Iskander as David, Ali Suliman as King Saul and Stephan Lang as Samuel the Prophet.

When the series came out last year, Religion Unplugged’s culture critic, Joseph Holmes, said he believed it had potential to be even better than “The Chosen,” which has gained acclaim for its radical commitment to both Biblical accuracy and excellent artistry. With the release of House of David’s second season, Joseph called it “one of the best things the faith-based film space has ever made.”

One of Joseph’s most consistent praises for the show has been its ability to balance history and fantasy in a way that treats the story both as an epic Bronze Age myth and as the carefully told story of a man whose life is deeply important to millions of people all around the world.

On this week’s show, Joseph interviewed Jon Gunn, the show’s executive producer. The two talked through this balance of myth and reverence, the evolution of faith in film, the complications of portraying romance in a time when arranged marriage was the norm and much more.

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Matthew Peterson is Religion Unplugged’s podcast editor and audience development coordinator. He took part in this past summer’s European Journalism Institute held in Prague, an annual program co-sponsored by The Media Project.