“It’s Far Exceeded Our Expectations”: ‘House of David’ Creator Reflects on the Series’ Impact

Since its debut, House of David has captivated audiences with its rich storytelling and compelling portrayal of one of the Bible’s most iconic figures.

The series chronicles David’s journey from humble shepherd to the anointed king of Israel, weaving themes of faith, leadership, and redemption.

Commissioned by Amazon MGM Studios and new production company The Wonder Project, House of David boasts a talented cast, including Egyptian American actor Michael Iskander as David, Ali Suliman as King Saul, and Stephen Lang as the prophet Samuel.

The series has resonated with viewers, achieving an 89% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and amassing 22 million viewers within its first 17 days.

96five’s Tim Bain caught up with House of David creator, Jon Erwin (known for films like Jesus Revolution and I Can Only Imagine) about the challenges of telling David’s story.

“David is complex and compelling” Jon said.

“I love the idea that he’s a man after God’s own heart and yet he makes tonnes of mistakes and he’s just one of the most famous kings who ever lived. “

For Jon, the seeds of the series began when he was 16 years old.

“I went to Israel with my dad and went to Jerusalem went to King David’s tomb and that spark of curiosity happened.”

“It’s something that I’ve wanted to do my whole life, my whole career I should say at least, is tell this story and it’s amazing to finally get to it and I can’t wait for audiences to see it.”

He described House of David as “a form of biblical commentary,” emphasising the show’s aim to provide a deeper understanding of the scriptures.

“To think that, you know, 3000 years later, we’re still singing the songs of this king and this one square mile city, Jerusalem, has had so much significance historically. It’s an incredible life lived.”  

“It’s also one of the only places in the Bible that you have the heart of someone because you have the Psalms, which I find some of the most relatable words in the Bible are the Psalms of David.”  

This is a love letter to scripture and our hope by telling these stories is that it will draw people to the source material and people will read the Bible in a in a whole in a whole new way and with a fresh perspective. Jon Erwin, House of David Creator

“It’s amazing to cross reference those with the life that he lived and then put it on the screen and I think that you just can’t do it as a movie… you really have to do it as an epic series.  

House of David is streaming now on Amazon Prime.

Check out the full interview with Jon Erwin in the video above.

Feature Image: David confronts Goliath, supplied and used with permission.