Today it is the world’s most printed book … but a new drama documentary about the creation of the King James Bible, made by a Scottish film company, will reveal that it was anything but a bestseller when it was first published.

Work begins tomorrow on the £450,000 film, which is being made to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the Authorized King James Version in 2011. Bafta-winner Norman Stone is making the film, which he says will reveal insights about the only book which, it is claimed, has more than one billion copies in print.

Stone’s previous credits include the award-winning films After The Laughter (about the life and music of Dudley Moore) and Shadowlands (about C S Lewis), as well as the acclaimed Beyond Narnia, another moving portrait of Lewis.

Stone, of 1A Productions, described the King James Bible as “perhaps Britain’s greatest literary and spiritual achievement”, adding: “Universally acclaimed for its scholarship, language and authority, this extraordinary work has deeply influenced people and cul­tures around the world for the last four centuries.

“And yet this seminal translation would never have been possible had it not been for a specific wrinkle in history, that brief spell of utopian optimism which followed the accession of James VI of Scotland to the English throne in 1603. It’s quite a story, and the run of events and characters which play their part in its telling will be the core of the quality TV drama documentary made to celebrate the arrival of this book of books.

“Put simply, this important sub­ject deserves more than just a dry aca­dem­ic approach. The full context of vibrant ­Jac­obean culture and a sense of true ­his­toric occasion calls for a much juicier storytelling technique.

“This one-hour film will explore the context, the characters and the drama behind this great work. Potential contributors are already being contacted, locations identified and central storyline details produced and prepared. It’s all gripping and very visual stuff.

“The great irony is that the book sold few copies when first released – and not many until 50 years later.

“What was incredible about James was that, in order to achieve the book, he gathered together an extraordinary bundle of characters yet somehow still managed to produce the finest work ever completed in the English language, and one which would affect and alter the course of western culture for ever.”

• Full story at The Herald.

• Filed under Arts, Bible, Media, Scottish Christian News Monitor.