MESSIAH Boss Previews New Netflix Series

MESSIAH, a new Netflix drama, questions what would happen if a Messiah (or Messiah-like figure) made himself known in the modern day.

In the ten-part first season, a mysterious man (Mehdi Dehbi) gets worldwide attention when it appears he might be performing miracles. Enter the CIA, via officer Eva Geller (Michelle Monaghan), who sets out to discover whether the man is what his followers claim he is. An Israeli intelligence officer (Tomer Sisley) and a Texas preacher (John Ortiz) also have vested interests in the man.

With the evolution of technology and the 24/7 news cycle, it made the potential impact of a Messiah irresistible to explore. “How would a person like that influence these guys when the power of influence is massive and instant?” creator Michael Petroni points out. “And also the reaction to that person is massive and instant. So that’s when it became, to me, really interesting and a valid story to tell. It’s different to tell the story now than even 20 years ago.”

To properly pay respect to the religions the show is portraying, Petroni dove deep into research both pre- and post-writing. “It took a lot of took a lot of reading,” he says. “It took a lot of consulting. We had consultants and scholars in Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Even after I had written the scripts, I then sent them back to all of those scholars and experts who gave me notes. I tried to be as thorough as I could. It’s a very, very exhausting process to go through.”

“And that was just the writing stage,” he continues. “Then people have to portray what you made. It’s like, well, they didn’t wear that particular thing. It’s like a whole other level of research that comes into the real practicalities of portraying certain cultures and certain religions.”

But for as much as religion permeates the series, Petroni was clear there were no restrictions about the topics he felt he was able to tackle—because he doesn’t actually think it’s a religious series.

“I’d say I’m writing a show about belief systems,” he notes. “And it’s a political thriller. So I didn’t feel any constraints. I don’t think the show tries to proselytize or preach to anybody, so I didn’t feel any obligation to take into consideration those kinds of things. I was writing a show; I was writing an entertaining show that was mainstream. That being said, I wrote the show so that people could then be inspired to discuss things like what they believe in.”

MESSIAH, Series Premiere, Wednesday, January 1, Netflix

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