A number of television shows have been striving to attain the same level of success achieved by HBO's "Game of Thrones," and this is why it comes as no surprise that the new ABC show "Of Kings and Prophets" has patterned itself after the former.
The series premieres on Tuesday, March 8 on ABC.
According to "Of Kings and Prophets" Executive Producer Chris Brancato, the only difference about the two shows is that theirs is based on Samuel 1 from the Bible. The lead character is the second ruler of Israel, King David (played by Olly Rix), also known for his epic battle against the giant Goliath.
"It's suspenseful. It's extraordinarily violent. It's sexual. And it's a power struggle between two men. We don't view this as revisionist history nor do we view it as a literal translation. This is a non-dragon version of 'Game of Thrones,'" Brancato shared with Entertainment Weekly.
As for its crew, Brancato said that "we have as many as on 'Game of Thrones.'"
The similarities did not end there. It is widely known that "Game of Thrones" changed its pilot episode, which featured a different actress to portray Daenerys Targaryen.
In the same way, "Of Kings and Prophets" had to iron out some of its original kinks. "'Game of Thrones' tossed out its original pilot and started again, and we guess for much the same reason..." said Brancato.
Co-executive producer Reza Aslan added that "Of Kings and Prophets" hold a lot of promise because its main character is "the world's first rock star."
"This is a man whose songs he wrote 3,000 years ago, we are still singing today. He's called 'messiah' in the Bible. His blood courses through the veins of Jesus Christ. And yet — and I think this is what makes him so fascinating — he's deeply flawed," shared Aslan. "He's vain. He's vengeful. He's lustful. He kills his friends and betrays his wives, and he had a lot of wives. But he also loves God and God loves him."
