Mary: Anthony Hopkins portrays King Herod in the upcoming biblical thriller

The biblical thriller Mary has reportedly wrapped production in Morocco, and Deadline reveals that the film will feature Sir Anthony Hopkins in another royal role after portraying the former King of Asgard, Odin, as well as Lear in the Prime original film, King Lear. Hopkins plays King Herod in the thriller that’s directed by DJ Caruso, whose credits include Disturbia, Eagle Eye and the Vin Diesel actioner xXx: Return of Xander Cage. He joins newcomer Noa Cohen, who plays the titular role. Cohen was chosen after a worldwide casting search and happened to grow up an hour away from where Mary was born in Israel. Cohen can be seen in the Israeli YA series My Nephew Bentz, Infinity and the 2022 feature Silent Game.

The plot synopsis, per Deadline, reads,
“In coming-of-age story Mary, the title character is shunned following the otherworldly conception of her child and forced into hiding. King Herod’s relentless drive to maintain power at any cost ignites the murderous pursuit of the newborn child that he believes is a threat to his reign on the throne. The film sees the young Mary and Joseph on the run and having to hide their baby, Jesus, at all costs.”

The movie also stars Mila Harris (Young Mary), Ido Tako (Joseph), Stephanie Nur (Salome), Susan Brown, (Anna the Prophetess), Ori Pfeffer as (Joachim), Hilla Vidor (Anne), Gudmundur Thorvaldsson (Marcellus) and Dudley O’Shaughnessy, Eamon Farren, Mili Avital, Milo Djurovic, Charley Boon, Kelsie Lewis and Jade Croot.

In addition to this film, Hopkins can be seen as Emperor Vespasian in the upcoming Roland Emmerich show, Those About to Die, which will stream on Peacock. While announcing Those About to Die, Emmerich said, “I have always been fascinated by the history of the Roman Empire…So much still seems relevant for our society today – from the entanglement of politics and sports to the disciplines of the competitions, which haven’t changed much either over the last 2000 years. The most electrifying spectacles for the masses still involve two men in an arena, beating each other up, and the chariots of today are called race cars whose drivers still crash and often pay with their lives.”