Films on Jesus, Other Biblical Characters to Hit Cinemas in 2016 Amid Spiritual Renewal Signs

Three films about Jesus Christ and other biblical characters are set to be released beginning next year in what observers say is another indication of mankind's spiritual renewal.

To hit the big screen in March next year is "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt," a film based on Anne Rice's novel of the same name.

The story revolves the childhood days of Jesus and is told from his perspective, according to IMDB.com. The movie follows the young Jesus as he molds his religious identity, starting from age seven when he and his family left Egypt to go back home to Nazareth.

Another movie will be based on the novel "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ," written by Lew Wallace and published in 1880. The story focuses on a fictional Jewish prince, Judah Ben-Hur, whose life intersects with that of Christ throughout the book. Ben-Hur was enslaved by the Romans and eventually becomes a Christian.

The movie, one of the book's film adaptations, is set to be released on Feb. 26 next year. It will star Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro as Jesus and Jask Huston as Judah Ben-Hur. The cast also includes Morgan Freeman, Toby Kebbell, Ayelet Zurer, Nazanin Boniadi, and Sofia Black D'Elia.

Warner Bros. is also developing a faith-based project titled "Apostle Paul," which involves A-list stars starting with Hugh Jackman who will take on the role of Saul of Tarsus, the man of God who crossed over to the Romans and spread His word. He was not one of the 12 original disciples but was converted on the Road to Damascus when Jesus came to him. He was blinded by a great white light. But his eyesight was restored when he met a man named Ananias who prayed over him.

Jackman will also produce, together with fellow actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who themselves appeared as fallen angels Bartleby and Lovi in the 1999 movie "Dogma."

"Ironically, these three movies will come 10 years after 'The Da Vinci Code' hit theaters, a Tom Hanks vehicle based on Dan Brown's takedown of the basic Christian understanding of Jesus," commented Aleteia.org. "Now, media versions of the real Jesus have totally eclipsed the phony Jesus of Dan Brown."

TV projects that focused on the life of Jesus were also recently shown. One is National Geographic's documentary titled "Killing Jesus," which attracted a record 3.7 million viewers, beating "Killing Kennedy" and "Killing Lincoln."

CNN also presented last month "Finding Jesus: Faith, Fact, Forgery," which examined relics linked to Jesus.

NBC has been airing since Easter the hit miniseries "A.D.: The Bible Continues," starring Argentine actor Juan Pablo Di Pace as Jesus.

Asked why biblical films appear to be gaining popularity, Di Pace, who was named by his parents after Pope John Paull II, said: After 2012 there's been a shift in humanity, society and economics."

"We're witnessing a transition, everything is changing really fast. With that comes a wanting to see and believe, and faith and spirituality come into play," the Argentine actor said.