What is Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas all about? Details analyzed

Yellowstone star Kevin Costner brings a spirited Nativity story on TV with Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas. Costner hosted and narrated the new ABC special that walks viewers through a retelling of the birth of Jesus in a way that has never been told before. 

ABC describes the film as "a timeless story, reimagined" on their Instagram post back in November to promote the special. The movie features Kevin Costner's hosting and voiceover, reenactments of the Nativity story, and input from theologians as they try to unpack both the historical and spiritual context of every part of the story.

Costner also explained through the ABC special that he "wanted to just try to get below the surface" when it comes to retelling the journey of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus Christ. 

What is Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas all about?

According to the film's description, Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas is a Christmas special that runs an hour and a half and tells a historically accurate version of the Nativity story. It blends narrative storytelling elements and documentary to share the story of the birth and the early life of Jesus Christ.

It reportedly stays faithful to what's written in the Scripture, including most of the dialogues between characters. But it also adds a few scenes based on educated speculation. PluggedIn warns that one crude word makes it into the movie along with some gritty, violent scenes. 

Who stars in Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas?

Kevin Costner is the host and narrator in Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas. He's a two-time Oscar winner. Costner is best known for starring in The Postman, The Bodyguard, Horizon: An American Saga, and, more recently, in five seasons of Yellowstone.

A mix of veteran Hollywood actors and new faces in the acting business also join him in the reenactment parts of the film. The Secret Life of Kids star Gia Patel plays Mary in the film. Starring opposite her is English actor-musician Ethan Thorne. According to his IMDb page, The First Christmas is his acting debut. 

The rest of the cast and their characters include: 

• Anthony Barclay as King Herod
• Saif Al-Warith as Angel Gabriel
• Ibrahim Elouahabi as Young Shepherd Obed
• Robert Goodman as Simeon
• Mansour Badru as Magi Melchior
• Hamid Boutbaldine as Magi Gaspar
• Mohamed Bamoula as Magi Balthazar
• Corinne Furman as Cousin Rachel
• Kods Joundoul as Anne
• Mohamed Zouaoui as Joachim
• Sinan Sicimoglu as Panthera
• Abdellatif Chaouqui as Asher
• Madi Grace Cunningham as Queen Mariamne
• Meher Baluch as Salome

Stefano Venturi, Alejandro Barrios, Ché Grant, Marco Lo Chiatto, and Alin Wishka also appear in the Christmas Special, per Newsweek. 

Where to watch Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas

Kevin Costner's Christmas Special aired on the ABC Channel on December 9 at 8:00 pm Eastern Time. Those who weren't able to catch the film live on ABC also have another option to stream it the next day. Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas will be streaming on Hulu and Disney+ starting on Wednesday, December 10. 

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