Several years ago, my book on King David was optioned for a movie by Warner Brothers. A few scripts were written and then it fell into the void of Hollywood projects that languish for eternity. The studio concluded it just wasn’t the right time for a major biblical epic.

Apparently, it is now.

Several shows about David are suddenly dotting the streaming landscape. There is an animated film, a forthcoming docudrama and a streaming TV show. Why the sudden surge of interest in the ancient Israelite king?

According to the creators of “David,” the children’s movie released in December by the Christian production company Angel Studios, David is an exemplar of faith. (He’s voiced by Phil Wickham, a star in Christian worship music.)

“Now more than ever, David is to me what the world is missing in terms of leadership, because he was so servant-hearted, such a shepherd-hearted person,” director Brent Dawes said on a Christian podcast. “And that’s why he was chosen to be the leader — because the first king of Israel, Saul, let the power get to his head. He let fear of man get to his head and he tried to rule with, you know, with a grip, whereas David just had a heart after God’s.”

Zachary Levi, the actor tapped to star in the Fox Nation docudrama “David: King of Israel” set to launch in March, explained his interest in David in a statement: “Aside from the account of Christ, the story of David is the most powerful in all of scripture. In fact, one might argue that it’s even more powerful in some ways, given that David was fully human, and therefore flawed, like us, making his journey more relatable to our own.”

And about the massively popular “House of David,” whose second season is soon to start streaming on Amazon, the Jewish consultant brought in........

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