National Geographic Channel announced a new global series exploring mankind’s quest to understand the divine titled The Story of God .
The Story of God is slated to air on National Geographic Channel in 2016 in the U.S. and globally in 171 countries and 45 languages.
The show host by the Actor Morgan Freeman Freeman (who portrayed the character of God in movies like Bruce Almighty and God) will embark on an epic exploration and intimate reflection on God, immersing himself in religious experiences and rituals all around the world, as well as becoming a test subject in scientific labs to examine how the frontiers of neuroscience and cosmology are intersecting the traditional domain of religion.
Each episode of The Story of God will center on one big question about the divine, from the mystery of creation, to the true power of miracles, to the promise of resurrection. These timeless and universal mysteries impact people from every faith. Freeman will be on the ground at some of humanity’s greatest religious sites, such as Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall, India’s Bodhi Tree, Mayan temples and the Lakewood megachurch in Texas. He’ll travel with archeologists to uncover the long-lost religions of our ancestors, such as the 10,000-year-old ruins at Gobekli Tepe in Turkey or the ancient Celtic monument at Stonehenge.
“ The story of God is one of the greatest mysteries and most important ideas in the world,” said Freeman. “For me, this is a personal and enduring quest to understand the divine, and I am humbled by the opportunity to take viewers along on this incredible journey.”
This is a quest for God — to shed light on the questions that have puzzled, terrified and inspired mankind. Today, those eternal questions are also posed by science. In the course of the series, Freeman will travel to labs where he’ll see the most accurate simulation of the creation of our universe unfold in front of his eyes, and become a test subject for neuroscientists who are searching for the effect of God on our networks of neurons.
All along this ambitious exploration of religion, Freeman will give his personal reflections on the divine, whether he’s in the back of a taxi leaving the Vatican or hiking through the Guatemalan jungle on the way to an abandoned Mayan temple.
“We’re partnering with Revelations Entertainment and the talented, multifaceted Morgan Freeman to produce an epic and very personal journey to understand mankind’s religious devotion,” said Courteney Monroe, CEO, National Geographic Channels. “Blending science, history, anthropology and personal experience, we’re harnessing the power of the National Geographic brand and our unparalleled global reach to tell a meaningful and awe-inspiring story of religion and spirituality, across disciplines and faiths.”
“God is arguably the most important topic of our time,” said executive producer Lori McCreary, Revelations Entertainment. “National Geographic’s unprecedented inside access will allow us to explore the global mystery behind God and religion. With Morgan as our storyteller, we’re going to produce a visually stunning and thought-provoking series that will spur meaningful conversations about God and faith, by believers and nonbelievers alike.”
The Story of God will be produced by Revelations Entertainment for National Geographic Channel. For Revelations Entertainment, Morgan Freeman, Lori McCreary and James Younger are executive producers.