Christopher Menaul to Direct Nat Geo’s Killing Jesus

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Director Christopher Menaul is on board the upcoming three-hour TV event Killing Jesus, produced by Scott Free Productions for National Geographic Channel.

Currently in pre-production, Killing Jesus is set to debut globally on National Geographic Channel in 2015 in 171 countries and 45 languages. It will air on Nat Geo Mundo in Spanish. Shooting is scheduled to begin this fall under Menaul's direction, with a teleplay from screenwriter Walon Green, based on the best-selling book by Bill O'Reilly.

Menaul's credits include the original Prime Suspect, The Forsyte Saga, See No Evil: The Moors Murders and the TV movies Fatherland and The Passion of Ayn Rand.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the teams at National Geographic Channel and Scott Free to bring Killing Jesus to life,” Menaul said. “We’re already hard at work in pre-production, and feel confident we can repeat the incredible worldwide success of the previous two films in this franchise.”

"Finding a new way to tell this extraordinary story is a challenge that we relish," said Heather Moran, National Geographic Channel's executive VP of programming and strategy. "We are thrilled to add Christopher and his distinctive vision to our team. Our aim is to tell the story of Jesus in an authentic, balanced and innovative way that will captivate viewers and provoke discussion."