Netflix casts Michelle Monaghan as lead of Messiah

Netflix announced the other day that Michelle Monaghan has signed onto to star in their new drama, Messiah.

The modern-day biblical series is expected to debut sometime in 2019 and is shaping up to be an intriguing new drama for the streaming service. Michelle Monaghan is the first big name to join the cast of Messiah, marking her departure from Hulu to Netflix.

She recently starred in The Path on Hulu, alongside Aaron Paul, which also explored a religious cult. However, Messiah is more of a political thriller than a drama focused on the inner workings of a specific cult. Set in the 21st Century, the modern world tries to grapple with a mysterious man emerging from the Middle East claiming to be the “Messiah”. As his group of followers continues to grow, society and the government must try to figure out if he’s authentic or a threat.

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Michelle Monaghan will play the US Intelligence named Vera, who faces off against the aforementioned man above. As a whip-smart and determined woman, Vera is unwavering in her pursuit of prosecuting a man she views as a fraud. Unfortunately, her own moral code might be affected in her hunt to take him down.

The titular character of Messiah will be played by Belgian actor, Mehdi Debhi. His character, Al-Masih, is the religious figure who emerges from Syria that many view as either a threat or savior to society. He will undoubtedly be the most controversial character in the Netflix drama considering the events of the series will directly concern him.

Michael Petroni, the creator of Miracles, originally brought the idea of Messiah to Netflix alongside Mark Burnett and Roma Downey. The three are all expected to be executive producers on the political drama for its first season. Netflix officially ordered the show to series in November, commissioning ten episodes to debut in 2019.

The Vice President of Netflix Originals, Cindy Holland, had only positive things to share about their newest series.

"“Messiah promises to be a fascinating series for viewers of every faith, and a thrilling drama filled with multilayered characters set on a global stage.”"

Based on her remarks and Monaghan’s casting, Messiah is beginning to look like one of Netflix’s most exciting new originals.

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In the meantime, fans of Michelle Monaghan can catch her on the first three seasons of The Path and in the Mission Impossible film series. For those trying to familiarize themselves with Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, be sure to watch some of their acclaimed series: The Bible and The Dovekeepers.

Are you excited about this newest Netflix project? Tell us below in the comments!

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