Netflix cancels Mark Burnett's series 'Messiah' after 1 season
The Netflix series “Messiah,” produced by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, has been canceled, according to series star Wil Traval.
Traval broke the news on Instagram, recently writing, “It’s a very sad day today. I have just received news from Netflix that there will be no season 2 of #messiah I wanted to say to all the fans thank you for your support and love. I wish things were different.”
According to Variety, Netflix decided not to continue shooting the series because of its many international locations and not feeling comfortable shooting the show given “the current state of things with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.”
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The series was released Jan. 1 and starred “Mission: Impossible” actress Michelle Monaghan. She played CIA agent Eva Geller, who is determined to get to the bottom of a worldwide phenomenon surrounding a religious man referred to by some as Al-Masih (Mehdi Dehbi), who claims to be sent by God.
Created by Michael Petroni, “Messiah” depicts peoples' reactions toward an ambiguous Christ-like man claiming to be sent by God. He builds a worldwide following of people from different religious backgrounds, including Jews, Christians and Muslims. What also made the series compelling is that the filmmakers imagine how a secular society might respond to a man claiming to be the Messiah in this day and age.
The series received mixed reviews upon its release and Christians were left wondering what message the series creators were looking to share in the obscure show.
As stated in The Christian Post previously, a conflicting part of the series is that Al-Masih never states what he believes. Many of his attributes mimic Christ, such as walking on water and raising the dead, among many other things, but this second coming is not in line with what Scripture says. The Bible is clear that Christ’s return will be a sight the entire world will behold.
While the series had great production quality, a high-profile cast and its sense of mystery made for a compelling story, it was unclear what the motive behind it was.
