Joel Osteen to Executive Produce Prequel to 'Passion of the Christ' About Jesus' Mother

Earlier this month, news broke that Megapastor Joel Osteen will be executive producing what's being dubbed the Biblical prequel to "The Passion of the Christ." The film, entitled, "Mary Mother of Christ," is going to be released in North America sometime in 2013.

(Related: Joel Osteen: ‘The Scripture Says That Being Gay Is a Sin’)

The movie, which is produced by Mary Aloe of Aloe Entertainment and Shawn Williamson of Bright Light Pictures, promises to be an intriguing project that will surely peak the interest of the faithful.

"Under the reign of terror of Herod the Great and against all odds, Mary and Joseph survive as young parents in one of the most treacherous times in history," Aloe Entertainment writes on the company's web site, going on to discuss Osteen's executive production role. "Minister Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church, the most prominent Christian Evangelical minister in the world, has signed on his first movie ever as Executive Producer with a massive marketing and promotion plan."

Osteen, too, has talked about the project, providing a glowing description of Mary's depiction in it.

"Mary is portrayed as a brave, faithful young woman who readily embraces her divine destiny regardless of the sacrifices and hardships she must endure," Osteen said of the project's depiction of Jesus Christ's mother.

"The faith-based film will star Hollywood actors Camilla Belle as Mary, Peter O'Toole as Symeon, and Diogo Morgado as Joseph the carpenter," reports The Christian Post.

The film will delve into Mary's life, while highlighting the difficult issues the young woman faced. From handling the plights in her own youth to caring for her young son (up to the age of four), the film will provide a lens into the world of the Christian Savior's mother.

ChristianRetailing.com has more about the intriguing project:

Rush joins actors Julia Ormond and Peter O'Toole in the movie, to be directed by Alister Grierson. The original screenplay for Mary, Mother of Christ was written by Benedict Fitzgerald (The Passion of The Christ) and Barbara Nicolosi, Variety said. Mary, Mother of Christ is produced by Mary Aloe of Aloe Entertainment and Shawn Williamson of Bright Light Pictures.

Besides Osteen, Mike Dolan and Ben Barton of Smithfield Street Productions, Alan Weinberger of the ASCII Group, the Samaritan Group and philanthropists Frank Carlucci (former U.S. Secretary of Defense), Mike Connell, Robert Gottlieb, Mike Nead and Herb Lande will also serve as executive producers, Variety reported.

According to Variety, the film is scheduled to begin shooting this summer in the Italy, Jordan, and British Columbia.