Adapting the Bible: Amir Kovacs Discusses His Movie, “Book of Joshua: The Walls of Jericho”
Biblical narratives have proven to be a bankable currency in Hollywood. This year alone has seen the release of numerous Bible adaptations, including season five of the mega-hit show The Chosen and the debut of the popular streaming show House of David.
Recently, another Bible hero has been given the Hollywood treatment. The animated feature film Book of Joshua: The Walls of Jericho was released earlier this month through Amazon, Apple TV, and other major streaming services.
Amir Kovacs, the writer and producer of the film, sat down with The Collision to discuss the purpose of the film, the challenges of adapting biblical narratives, and his plans for the future (Yes, a trilogy is in the works!).
Kovacs shared that as someone who grew up in Israel, the story of Joshua is close to his heart.
“Being born and raised in Israel and hearing that story over and over again, the Book of Joshua became my favorite book,” Kovacs shared. “I decided to write the screenplay way before the whole wave of faith-based films even came out. . . The warrior who Joshua is, the fact that he questioned himself over and over again . . . the psychology behind it just definitely made me say, ‘That’s the story I want to tell.’”
While the story itself—which is full of drama, conflict, and intrigue—is ripe for adaptation, creating a cohesive, entertaining film that stayed faithful to the narrative’s sacred roots was a priority. “It was very challenging, but probably the most important thing for us was to stay very loyal to the story.”
One of the challenges Kovacs faced was determining an appropriate way to portray the dark, gritty components of the source material. Kovacs said he received feedback from pastors and rabbis to ensure the film didn’t go overboard.
“We toned down all the violence completely. We have to show the battles, [but] people do enjoy those. Sexuality, we toned down completely. Rahab, you know who she is, but we toned her profession down . . . To me, I’m showing symbolism, and it’s up to you to go and read about it more and conclude whatever you want to conclude.”
One major element that sets the film apart from many of the other recent Bible adaptations is its use of 2D animation.
“I think that the animation world is a world that has a much bigger audience than the live-action world, especially when it comes to biblical stories,” Kovacs said. “The colors are beautiful; the animation is beautiful. People want to watch it over and over again. I think I can touch the hearts of many more people through that as opposed to through a live-action, R-rated film that is skipping the most important generation, which are the kids. My target audience was eight and above.”
For Kovacs, the overarching message of the film is one of faith.
“On top of enjoying the beautiful animation and artwork that we put a lot of work into, the point is that as long as you believe, things will be just fine.”
Fans of Book of Joshua: The Walls of Jericho will be happy to learn that rather than a standalone film, it is the first entry in what will ultimately become (at minimum) a trilogy.
“We’re already almost pre-production of the second one. So it’s going to be a trilogy and, yeah, many more. That’s what we’re working on.”
