This… is… Jerusalem! Man, I love news stories like these… they basically write themselves. According to The Guardian, a new movie is in the works based on the story of Jesus Christ during the years of his life that are omitted by the New Testament. Drew Heriot will direct The Aquarian Gospel, named after the “unofficial” religious text that covers his travels throughout India between the ages of 13 and 30. The only thing that the Bible actually mentions about this period of his life is that “The boy grew in wisdom and stature”.

The flick is described as a “fantasy action adventure” that will include a retelling of The Battle of Thermopylae, and will be shot in the style of 300 using actors in front of a green screen to allow for computer generated backdrops. One of the characters will reportedly be a “young and beautiful princess”, although it has not been revealed whether she will be a love interest for Jesus. Hey, now this is the kind of religious film I want to see! The movie is only budgeted at $20 million, so I doubt the quality of the effects can match 300, but it seems like a good idea given the popularity of sword and sandals epics right now. The only problem will be the Christian groups that are likely to oppose this flick on the grounds that it is blasphemy. Blasphemy or not, there are many historians who believe it to be true. Besides, doesn’t it seem only appropriate that Jesus should eventually become a Hollywood action movie icon?