Bible Series Sequel AD Premiere Date, Cast News: NBC Makes Announcement of Cast Members

NBC has announced that "A.D.," a 12-episode series based on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, will premiere on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2015.

The television network has likewise announced the cast of the historical mini-series which is the sequel to "The Bible."

From the looks of it, NBC's producers and casting professionals have spared no expense in getting the better known TV actors and actresses to join the cast of "A.D." These artists have made their mark in the minds of viewers for their gripping performances in other shows.

They include Joanne Whalley from "The Borgias," Richard Coyle from "Crossbones," Greta Scacchi from "Agatha Christie," Vincent Regan from the "Musketeers," Emmet Scanlan from "Constantine," Babou Ceesay from "Luther," Jodhi May from "The Crimson Field," Adam Levy from "Borgia," Chipo Chung from "Sherlock," and Juan Pablo di Pace from "Dallas."

Di Pace plays Jesus, the charismatic leader who dies on the cross and later resurrects in divine form.

Scacchi plays Mary, Jesus' mother. Levy portrays Peter who suffers from guilt after abandoning Jesus and then bounces back to lead the church. Ceesay plays John, Peter's right hand and brother of James. Chung is Mary Magdalene while Scalan plays Saul, a fervent Jewish follower.

Coyle portrays Caiaphas, High Priest of the Temple and of all Jews. Regan plays Pontius Pilate, Roman Governor of Judea who orders the death of Jesus upon the urgings of Caiaphas. May plays Leah, wife of Caiaphas while Whalley portrays Claudia, Pilate's wife.

"A.D." picks up where "The Bible" left off, specifically at the point when the Apostles—the closest followers of Christ who were left behind after he was mortally crucified—had to make sense of their lives and accept what happened to be able to carry out their appointed task of spreading the Gospel around the world.

"The Bible" is an earlier TV mini-series that chronicled ancient religious events as laid out in the Christian bible, starting from creation, and ending in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Executive Producers Roma Downey and Mark Burnett say "A.D." promise to give viewers an authentic feel of the events that took place during the time of Jesus Christ more than two thousand years ago.