If the time period “religion programming” conjures pictures of Jesus Christ or Bible-thumping pastors in your head, you doubtless haven’t seen one of many titles on Marvel Mission’s slate. Together with shingles like Angel Studios (“Sound of Freedom”) and 5&2 Studios (“The Chosen”), the manufacturing firm behind the hit TV collection “Home of David” is taking faith-based movie and tv far past the strictly non secular content material of a bygone period.
Onto the entrance traces of the streaming wars, for example.
With the Oct. 5 launch of a subscription-based channel for $8.99 monthly, or $89.99 per 12 months, on both a standalone app or through an present Prime Video subscription, Marvel Mission is betting on a extra fashionable strategy to the faith-based, or values, market — by way of each storytelling and platform.
Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten.
(Billy Moon)
“What we’re seeing now’s that religion programming is broader, extra nuanced and extra modern than it might have been previously,” says Traci Blackwell, a senior improvement government at Amazon MGM Studios. “It typically explores themes of hope, perseverance, neighborhood and ethical complexity in ways in which resonate with each faith-based and mainstream audiences.”
Marvel Mission Chief Government Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten labored with founder and Chief Content material Officer Jon Erwin to pinpoint and construct a broad programming slate constructed round 4 thematic “circles”: God, household, nation and goals.
A type of tales is the scripted drama “Home of David,” which premiered in February on Prime Video and grabbed greater than 40 million viewers. The collection, created by Erwin, follows the enduring sheepherder (Michael Iskander) who’s anointed King of Israel, then defeats an enormous named Goliath (Martyn Ford) within the eight-episode first season. The collection clearly has biblical roots, nevertheless it’s supposed to draw greater than a distinct segment viewers. “The manufacturing values, storytelling and common themes enchantment effectively past that [faith] core. That’s why the class has expanded into what we’d name ‘inspirational storytelling’ that may reside alongside every other premium collection,” says Blackwell.
The success of Marvel Mission’s subscription service is intimately linked to making sure that “Home of David” suffers no sophomore droop: In an surprising transfer, Season 2 will premiere with two episodes on Marvel Mission’s launch day and won’t be obtainable on Prime Video till a later date.
Michael Iskander as David and Indy Lewis as Princess Mychal in “Home of David.” Photograph Credit score: Jonathan Prime/Prime © Amazon Content material Providers LLC
(Jonathan Prime)
“This sort of strategic windowing really strengthens the present’s life cycle,” Blackwell explains. “Marvel Mission gives an early dwelling for followers who’re desirous to see it first, and when the collection arrives on Prime Video, it reaches a a lot bigger viewers worldwide. For us, it’s about extending the impression and making certain the present has a number of alternatives to seize viewers throughout platforms.”
Pondering of the viewers and the way they’re watching is one thing Merryman Hoogstraten says follows the mannequin of streaming competitor Netflix, the place she labored as vp of content material acquisition from 2007 to 2014.
“One of many causes I believe Netflix was so profitable in these early days is that we have been actually versatile,” she says. “We seemed on the undertaking, we seemed on the companion, and we stated, ‘What’s the smartest thing for the viewers?’”
Apart from “Home of David,” different Marvel Mission choices embrace originals like “Redemption,” a restricted docuseries following Ohio State’s 2024 soccer season set to premiere on the service in October, a Christmas particular hosted by Little Large City’s Kimberly Schlapman slated for December and the forthcoming modern scripted drama “It’s Not Like That,” starring Scott Foley as a widowed pastor and Erinn Hayes as a divorcee. The service additionally consists of greater than 125 licensed titles together with collection like “Social gathering of 5” and “The Conners” and movies corresponding to “Rudy,” “Lifeless Poets Society” and “The Sound of Music.” Some titles can be found in each unique and edited-for-TV variations for youthful audiences.
That viewers is more and more enticing to Hollywood as a result of it’s a fluid — and nonetheless underserved — market. “It’s larger than we generally suppose as a result of we take into consideration religion as a style as an alternative of an viewers,” Erwin says. “However I’m in my early 40s, a father of 4 children, and I can’t get something that my children and I can watch collectively. I don’t know if a present that I’m watching goes to be offensive or not.”
Jon Erwin.
(Marvel Mission)
Although it options constantly excessive stakes and its personal recreation of thrones, “Home of David” may be very mild on intercourse and profanity, and when it does comprise violence, corresponding to within the David and Goliath showdown within the Season 1 finale, it’s not as graphic as or sustained as sure opponents. That makes it each premium and household viewing, which you’ll’t say for “The Final of Us” or “Squid Sport.”
“There’s a fantastic factor about Marvel Mission,” says Erwin. “I’m the viewers.”
