By Movieguide® Staff
For KEVIN COSTNER PRESENTS: THE FIRST CHRISTMAS director David L. Cunningham, the project was all about “honor[ing] the text” of the Christmas story.
“I just tried to come from a place of humility with this whole project,” he told Movieguide®. “My true north was the text.”
Cunningham explained that the process of making THE FIRST CHRISTMAS was about “going back to the original text and going, ‘What if we don’t try and come up with some angle or spin…let’s go back to the original text and honor that.’”
“What we wanted to do was try and be a unifying celebration of the story — not one of theological debate, but one of honoring,” he continued, adding that he wanted to “honor the text and honor the audience.”
Related: Behold His Glory – The True History Behind the Nativity Story
Cunningham also shared his hopes for what audiences take away from THE FIRST CHRISTMAS, saying, “I hope that people will go back to the Scriptures themselves and unpack and learn and point them to the person of Jesus.”
THE FIRST CHRISTMAS is hosted by Kevin Costner, who spoke to PEOPLE in November about the project.
“It’s a story I think we all think we know,” he told the outlet. “I think maybe some of us know a lot, maybe you know just a little, maybe you’re a believer, maybe you’re a cynic or maybe — hopefully — you’re just curious to find out the real story that’s behind the tradition.”
In an interview with the Christian Post, Costner stressed the importance of “keeping Christ in Christmas.”
“When I decided to do this, I felt it was really important,” he explained. “I make sports movies, cowboy movies and dramas, adult movies, if you will, and sometimes you’re not always dealing with your faith. People may not think of me in that way. I wouldn’t have done this if it weren’t important to me, because of how I was raised. I was raised in a Baptist church.”
Touching on the importance of the Nativity story, the actor said, “For Christians, it centers on the birth of this child, the promise that He was coming, and the message He would bring of peace, of how you treat your neighbor, and how you live morally under very tough conditions. It’s a chance to refocus, to recalibrate, to take stock of the people who matter to us.”
Costner also spoke about who he hopes watched THE FIRST CHRISTMAS, sharing, “I invited the cynic to sit with us. They don’t have to believe, but they do recognize that this story has endured. Will the names we see today still be remembered for thousands of years, for good or bad?”
KEVIN COSTNER PRESENTS: THE FIRST CHRISTMAS debuts on ABC Dec. 9 and will be available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu the following day.
Read Next: 25 Meaningful Ways To Prepare For Christmas
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
– Content: +1Share:
– Content: +2