Netflix drama Messiah gets full cast list rounded out: Wil Traval, Michelle Monaghan and Jane Adams join in
The 10-episode straight-to-series Netflix drama, Messiah, is all set to gain some power-packed additions to the previously announced, stellar cast. Melinda Page Hamilton, Stefania LaVie Owen, Jane Adams, Sayyid El Alami, Fares Landousil and Wil Traval have finally brought to completion the cast of the series from writer Michael Petroni (The Book Thief) and producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey.
Deadline reported that Barbara Eve Harris, Iqbal Theba, Emily Kinney, Jackson Hurst and Nicole Rose Scimeca will be returning to the show, joining the regulars Michelle Monaghan, John Ortiz, Tomer Sisley and Mehdi Dehbi.
As the title of the show suggests, Messiah tells the story of al-Masih (played by Dehbi) and the modern world's reaction to him. Masih first appears in the Middle East and creates a herd of ardent followers who are convinced he is the Messiah. The thrill of the show comes from figuring out whether Masih truly is sent from God or is just a crafty fraud bent on toppling the existing geopolitical order.
Messiah's plot thus takes into account and shares multiple points of view to showcase the fine lines between religion, faith, and politics all coming together and being explored by the phenomenon.
Hamilton plays the role of Anna Iguero, whose father is a preacher and so is her husband. Her life stumbles when a stranger from an alien land enters her life. Owen, on the other hand, plays Rebecca Iguero, who's a troubled teen from a backwater Texas town and is desperate to leave her life behind. Her wishes get granted once a series of events changes everything about her life.
Jane Adams' role is that of a CNN reporter, Miriam Keneally, who is hell-bent on unraveling the truth about al-Masih - a journey that brings her face-to-face with some of her deepest personal secrets. Traval pays Will Mathers an Army veteran-turned-FBI JTTF agent who gets thrown into the pursuit of al-Masih with his CIA counterpart, Eva Geller, played by Monaghan.
Newcomers El Alami and Landousil play Jibril Medina and Samir, respectively - both of whom leave the beaten down Damascus to become devotees of al-Masih in the hope of finding their true destiny, but Samir figures that his destiny is somewhere else.
Harris' Katherine Bailey is a recurring character who happens to be Geller's boss and confidante with a clear head and sound reason. Theba plays the role of the Under Secretary for the Middle East, Danny Kirmani. Scimeca, Staci, and Hurst play the role of a family, with Scimeca being the mortally ill child who goes on a pilgrimage with her mother Staci Hardwick. Hurst plays Staci's husband and Scimeca's father.
The show that was given the green signal back in November is yet to be given a release date. Executive producers for the show happen to be Petroni, Burnett, Downey, James McTeigue and Andrew Deane.