Alejandro Monteverde’s biblical drama film Zero A.D. is scheduled for release in 2026 (though it was briefly slated for December 2025).
The plot is set during the biblical event known as the Massacre of the Innocents, as told in the Gospel of Matthew. A ruler consumed by fear, King Herod, is terrified by a prophecy foretelling the rise of a new king. He brutally orders his armies to erase the threat by slaughtering every male infant in Bethlehem.
The story focuses on the flight of the young Virgin Mary and Joseph as they desperately protect the newborn Jesus from King Herod’s murderous pursuit. The film features Deva Cassel as the Virgin Mary, Jim Caviezel as the brutal King Herod the Great.
Zero A.D. also features Sam Worthington as Herod’s son Antipater, Ben Mendelsohn as Nahash of Ammon, and Gael García Bernal as Joachim, among other actors.
Deva Cassel, Jim Caviezel and others featured in Alejandro Monteverde’s Zero A.D.
Deva Cassel is portraying as Virgin Mary in Zero A.D. The film depicts her terrifying journey to protect the newborn Jesus from King Herod’s brutal Massacre of the Innocents. The Italian-French actress’s debut film role was in the 2023 Italian drama, The Beautiful Summer (La Bella Estate).
Jim Caviezel portrays King Herod the Great, a ruler consumed by paranoia and fear of prophecy. As the antagonist in Zero A. D., he commands the ruthless Massacre of the Innocents, ordering the murder of all male infants in Bethlehem to secure his throne.
Jim Caviezel played the controversial role of Jesus Christ in The Passion of the Christ (2004). He also starred as Private Witt in the acclaimed war drama The Thin Red Line (1998) and as detective John Sullivan in the sci-fi thriller Frequency (2000). On television, he is best known as the lead, John Reese, in the popular series Person of Interest (2011–2016).
Sam Worthington plays Antipater, the ambitious and ruthless son of King Herod. Eager to inherit his father’s throne, Antipater is a key player in the political machinations and paranoia surrounding the search for the prophesied “King of the Jews.”
Worthington is most famous for his starring role as Jake Sully in James Cameron’s Avatar film series. He is set to appear in the upcoming sequel, Avatar: Fire and Ash, releasing on December 19, 2025.
The film also features Ben Mendelsohn, Gael García Bernal and James Oliver Wheatley among its notable ensemble.
What is Zero A.D. based on?
Zero A. D. is primarily based on an event from the New Testament of the Christian Bible: the Massacre of the Innocents. This biblical event is described in the Gospel of Matthew (Chapter 2, Verses 16–18).
It focuses on King Herod the Great, who is terrified by the news that a new “King of the Jews” has been born. Consumed by paranoia and fear of losing his throne, Herod orders his army to murder every male child in Bethlehem and the surrounding area who is two years old and under.
Stay tuned for more updates on Zero A.D.
Edited by Suchita Patnaha
