“House of David” premiered today on Prime on February 27th.
“House of David” tells the story of the ascent of the biblical figure, David, who eventually becomes the most renowned and celebrated king of Israel.
The series follows the once-mighty King Saul as he falls victim to his own pride.
At the direction of God, the prophet Samuel anoints an unlikely, outcast teenager as the new king. As Saul loses his power over his kingdom, David finds himself on a journey to discover and fulfill his destiny, navigating love, loss, and violence in the court of the very man he’s destined to replace.
As one leader falls, another must rise.
The series is based on an idea by Jon Erwin and directed and written by Erwin and Jon Gunn. It stars Michael Iskander as David who was cast following a four-month international search, and is fresh off his role in the Tony Award-winning musical “Kimberly Akimbo.”
The Episodes at Launch;
“A Shepherd and a King;” One thousand years before Christ, Saul, the first King of Israel, loses God’s grace and consequently also his own sanity. Meanwhile, far away from the palace, the legendary seer Samuel becomes aware of a talented young shepherd named David. One of the greatest stories ever told is set in motion.
“Deep Calls to Deep;” Saul’s family watches the king’s deteriorating mental state with great concern, and is ready to do anything in their power to defend his reign. David is hungry for a life outside of his home, but what he finds beyond the hills of Bethlehem is danger beyond his wildest expectations.
“The Anointing;” The court must deal with the consequences of Saul’s madness, Samuel is on the run from a sinister agent, and a nefarious shadow assembles a legendary ally in his plan to conquer Israel. Out in the fields of Bethlehem, David has an encounter that will change the course of history forever.
Meet The Characters!
DAVID – Michael Iskander
David is an outcast, but he sees himself through the eyes of God and his mother, giving him a confidence that cuts through it all. He yearns to matter and to fight alongside the king, but wrestles with God constantly through his poetry. He is passionate, with desires as strong as storms.SAUL – Ali Suliman
King Saul is a strong leader. When he is first cursed by Samuel, he begins a struggle with darkness. Yet Saul is a devoted and loving father, even in the first phases of his villainy. What he wants more than anything is to build a dynasty for his children and his house that will last a thousand generations.SAMUEL – Stephen Lang
The Hebrew seer, weathered, piratical, brawny, and inordinately strong from years of dismantling bulls. He has fire in his eyes, and is mystical and Gandalf-like. His hair and beard are long, rope-like, having never been cut. He is pious and holy but will unleash violent wrath upon the wicked, if commanded by God. Though Samuel is hardened, fiery, and otherworldly, he also loves. He loved Saul in his youth; he loves his wife and sons, but his calling as a seer makes him aloof and enigmatic.QUEEN AHINOAM – Ayelet Zurer
Queen Ahinoam is polished, clever, and vicious if need be. She is a power broker, pulling strings behind the scenes. No nonsense. Fiercely protective of her family and of the power they wield. When Saul is cursed and cut off from Samuel, the queen relies on seers of dark gods to govern her choices.MYCHAL – Indy Lewis
Daughter of Saul and Ahinoam, sister of Jonathan. She is fun, likable and bookish but only when appropriate; during her father’s decline she is as emotionally bereft. She has a love for beauty and innocence, particularly children and the sacred writings, finding solace in the royal library and befriending the old Levite scribes. Her allure to David is through the sincerity in his poetry and music, and his ability to use these gifts to bring her father ease through his pain.JONATHAN – Ethan Kai
Prince Jonathan is noble, selfless, devout, and bold. He is a striking testimony to the man that Saul once was before his decline. Despite being a soldier from a young age, war has not hardened his heart. Rather, he is compassionate and merciful, a man who loves his family, takes in strays, and seeks to live a virtuous life.ABNER – Oded Fehr
Abner is a veteran of every kind of battle against every kind of enemy. His tactical mind is surpassed only by his own abilities as a warrior. From the beginning, we see only hardness in Abner and a dislike for Judah and the tribe’s most famous son, David. But as Saul deteriorates, we see that even in Abner, there is a conscience and a spark of piety. He is a great man but not a good man. But, like many killers before and since, he has his code and lines he will not cross, not even for his king.JESSE – Louis Ferreira
Jesse is the father of seven sons, three of whom are truly impressive. But David, the youngest, makes life very hard for him. Jesse’s greatest fear is loss, of losing more of the family he built with his beloved. Now he holds onto his family tight and none tighter than David. But he doesn’t have the strength or ability to fight destiny or the greatness in his youngest son.MIRAB – Yali Topol Margalith
The Daughter of Saul and Ahinoam, sister to Mychal. She is all jokes and hedonism, the counterpart of Eshbaal. She is perpetually objectifying men and enjoying their eyes in response. Despite her rough exterior, Mirab longs to be seen for more than her looks and royal status.ESHBAAL – Sam Otto
Son of Saul and Ahinoam, brother of Mychal, Jonathan and Mirab. He is a pretty boy who uses his looks and status to much aplomb, taking nothing seriously that he cannot flirt with or drink. However, if he is confronted or struck by a real threat, he instantly folds and expects his mother to clean up the mess, proving to be a coward beneath it all.GOLIATH – Martyn Ford
He is a demigod and mythical creature with a rarely, if ever seen “family life.” His devotion and duty toward his family is his life’s purpose. After the sudden death of his mother, he’s determined to avenge her by any means possible.ELIAB – Davood Ghadami
Eliab is David’s oldest brother, and the one who should be king, at least to the eye. He is the strongest and best fighter in Saul’s army, the only man in Israel who can look Saul in the eye, and he does not struggle with his passions, except when it comes to David. He loves his little brother and fears for him like a second father, but David can get under his skin like no one else.DOEG – Ashraf Barhom
An Edomite (i.e., distant relatives of the Hebrews), he is physically imposing, strong, powerful, and formidable. Doeg is grimy — a herdsman — spider-like, lurking in basements, experimenting with animals and even humans. He has no conscience, driven solely by his ambitions and shiny objects.ACHISH – Alexander Uloom
He is kingly, a restrained diplomat and politician, but if he loses it, he can break or kill a man in a moment. He exudes restrained danger, fueled by the murder of his father. Achish’s kingdom, Gath, is one of five Philistine kingdoms, but Achish is acutely aware of the dangers the Hebrews present, since Gath sits upon the border of the Hebrew lands. He is thus preoccupied with discerning a way of unifying the Philistines and eliminating the Hebrews.
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