How a $20 million religious epic became the most expensive film ever made

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: George Stevens spent years and millions to craft a reverent, sprawling retelling of the life of Jesus. Despite an ensemble cast of Hollywood legends and breathtaking landscapes, the production was plagued by delays, budget overruns, and a polarized critical reception that ultimately stalled the genre for decades to come.

The Greatest Story Ever Told began as a 1947 radio series, later adapted into a novel by Fulton Oursler. When director George Stevens took the helm in 1958, he envisioned a grand, universal cinematic experience. He rejected the Middle East for filming, opting instead for the dramatic, rugged terrain of the American Southwest, including Utah and Nevada, to provide a sense of scale and grandeur. The production was famously meticulous; Stevens shot over six million feet of film, often requiring dozens of camera setups for a single scene.

The film’s production was defined by excess and tragedy. Cinematographer William C. Mellor died during filming, and the project fell significantly behind schedule, leading Stevens to enlist directors David Lean and Jean Negulesco to assist with specific sequences. The final budget reached $20 million—equivalent to roughly $210 million today—making it the most expensive film produced in the United States at the time. The cast was equally massive, featuring Max von Sydow as Jesus and a parade of cameos from stars like John Wayne, which critics later argued shattered the film's immersion.

Upon its 1965 release, the film was a box office disappointment, earning only $15.5 million against its massive budget. Critics were divided; while some praised its visual ambition, others found it pretentious and boring. The post-production process was particularly fraught, with Stevens making late-stage edits that forced composers to scramble and led to the widely ridiculed inclusion of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus. Ultimately, the film’s failure to connect with audiences was so profound that it discouraged studios from investing in large-scale biblical epics for many years afterward.

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