Co-producer Roma Downey of the new faith-based series The Dovekeepers believes that the show's message of "triumph over the dark" is something that everybody should bear witness to.
The Dovekeepers is based on the bestselling novel by Alice Hoffman, and tells the story of four different women during the siege of Masada.
"Everyone should know this story. That was one of the the darkest moments in history, and this small group of people stood up and said, 'No, we don't have to take this from you.' Love and faith are more important than hate, and courage is more important than fear. And hope — there is always hope," Downey told The Wrap.
She is happy that they have the opportunity to present significant female roles on the small screen, and the co-producer has nothing but praises for their lead actress Cote de Pablo, who portrays Shirah in the mini series.
"I know as an actor for many years you don't often get a script that offers such beautiful roles for women — not just one, but many of them," said Downey, adding that Cote "deliciously brings forward to the screen" the anchor role of Shirah.
It was a challenge condensing the novel into four hours on screen, but she assured fans of the book that the "heartbeat" of the story is still the same. Downey said that it was also very important to the author that they stay true to the characters and their stories.
"We were very grounded in the history of the time, but we also had the freedom and the license and the invention of these beautiful characters. I think for fans of the original book, they'll be very pleased with how we have adapted it to the screen, but there will be some surprises even for people that know the story," she teased.
