You may never see a Christmas musical quite like this. In Journey to Bethlehem, director Adam Anders creates a lavish spectacle capturing “the greatest story ever told” with the tale of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus. Anders, who co-wrote the film with Peter Barsocchini, was the executive music producer for Glee before producing The Prom. But with Journey to Bethlehem, the filmmaker takes a big leap of faith — literally — in helming a musical which he wrote, directed, and produced.

The mammoth undertaking features 12 original new songs, performed by a cast featuringFiona Palomo (Outer Banks), Milo Manheim (Zombies), Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots), King + Country’s Joel Smallbone, and multiple Grammy-winner Lecrae, among many others. The story tracks a young woman with a big responsibility. Themes of love and honor are woven into the cinematic fabric, too, as one couple (Palomo and Manheim) attempt to hold their own against jealous king Herod (Banderas) who is desperate to maintain his crown.

The bold live-action holiday musical adventure is ideal for the entire family as it features classic Christmas melodies filled with faith and humor, but the brand new pop songs are an interesting twist, making this a potential new holiday classic. Adam Anders shared more about taking on the project in this exclusive MovieWeb interview.

The Daunting Task of Journey to Bethlehem
Affirm Films

If there was anybody perfectly suited for creating an all-out musical about the story of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, it was Adam Anders. The man is at the helm of Anders Media Inc., which produces film and television content for global audiences. But the fact that Anders has sold more than 100 million records and worked alongside artists such as Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, and Cee-Lo Green, gives him an edge for something like Journey to Bethlehem.

Still, it’s fitting to ask if the filmmaker was daunted by the idea of taking a classic story, one that’s so meaningful to so many people, and giving it a contemporary musical spin. More so, if he was intimidated by how the staunch Christians might feel about the character of Mary breaking out into song. “That’s always a fear when you touch a subject like this, a story that’s so revered and so important to billions of people,” he said. “You’re going to have a target on your back. There’s no doubt.”

He referenced executive producing the faith-based FOX live television event The Passion, starring Tyler Perry, which generated a No. 1 soundtrack on Billboard, noting that, “the press was not kind on either side — Christian press or mainstream,” adding:

’It’s not Christian enough for Christian press,’ or, ‘It’s too Christian for me.’ It was like I couldn’t win. But I learned in that process that I’m never going to make everyone happy. If I make it for everyone, I make it for no one. So, I just have to follow my vision. And that’s what we did.

Anders, a Christian himself, said he didn’t want to “hurt” the story of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. “What I wanted to do is make it digestible for everyone. I wanted to tell a story for everyone, not just Christians. Most people celebrate Christmas, and they’re like, ‘Well, it’s Santa.’ So — here’s what we actually celebrate. Here’s the story. And I was very clear in the beginning of the movie, because I say, ‘inspired by a true story.’ And that was important to me as a filmmaker to say that, because number one, it’s ‘inspired by,’ it’s not a documentary. They didn’t break into song and dance to pop music [back then]. I know that. But I am also a believer. So that’s an important distinction.”

Related: Best Movies About Jesus, Ranked

Creating His Own Story

Treating the story with reverence, love, and care was key. At the same time, Anders wanted to make it accessible in a way that people could relate to today. He was torn between telling the story in a more literal way, and jumbling the timeline to tell the story he felt he needed to. Fortunately, a friend came to him with advice, prompting a shift in perspective. Anders explained:

“The Wise Men probably showed up three years after Jesus was born, but every nativity scene has them there. So, every artist can take creative license throughout history. Why can’t I? And I was really distracted, because I’m going to have a target on my back with this story. And he said something amazing to me, and I don’t know if he knows how much it meant to me, but he said, ‘Nobody’s going to remember your movie [because] your timeline is accurate. They’re going to remember it if it’s great. Just make a great movie.’”

Anders set out to do just that. The genesis of the story came from an idea Anders had more than 17 years ago. He had attempted to watch a musical but couldn’t land on anything that suited him. He began to wonder how a musical of the nativity scene would play out. Nearly two decades later, we have Journey to Bethlehem.

Affirm Films

He may not have realized the extent of this undertaking. There were 12 set pieces involved and a detailed production schedule in Spain. “It was nuts,” he said. “There is no overtime in Spain, which made it even more difficult because I had 10 hours a day, and I was shut down every single day, so if anything went wrong, you’re just crossing off shots on my list, and like, ‘Okay, that’s going to be very short. There was a ticking time bomb every day. That was probably the hardest part.”

He managed to complete the shoot in 30 days. While he cannot reveal how much the production cost, he shared: “I don’t know if I can talk about it, but it was way too little, I can tell you that. You know, musicals cost a lot of money because it’s like making two productions at once. But we did it for a very responsible number.”

Related: Best Movies with Religious Themes, Ranked

When asked how he felt the TV show Glee and the musical The Prom, prepared him for this film, Anders shared:

“I can look back and see all of it was preparation for this, frankly. After The Prom, I was ready to make this movie. Because I had a lot of responsibility on that movie. Ryan Murphy directed it, and he made me a producer on it. And what an amazing thing to produce Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, James Corden, and Ariana DeBose. I gained a lot of confidence there working with a cast at that level, and here, with Antonio Banderas. Like Quincy Jones once said, I just make music I like, and I am lucky people agree. So that’s really what it is as a creative person.”

Experience Journey to Bethlehem in theaters November 10. You can check out a music video from Steven Curtis Chapman and We the Kingdom that’s used in the film (and featuring clips) below: