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Do you see this movie attracting an audience beyond Christians?

Rich: I do. Even for non-believers, this is a compelling story. We have sent the script out to those way outside of Christian evangelicals. We've shown it to Jewish scholars, who are appreciative of the fact that we were respectful of their traditions and culture.

I'm often asked what I hope to get out of this, what we're hoping to accomplish. We live in a time where the month of December goes by in a heartbeat because of the hectic nature of the season. There's very little time for families to talk about this story. If this movie can serve as a two-hour window in that season to get families talking about this remarkable, amazing story of faith, then that will be a great thing.

Do you see the movie as "evangelistic"?

Rich: Not particularly. It could plant a seed in that direction. We see Jesus for all of five minutes onscreen—and he's not exactly delivering the Sermon on the Mount. But if after seeing this movie someone opens up the Gospel of Luke, then you never know.

Stay tuned to Christianity Today Movies for more coverage of The Nativity Story in the months ahead.

Photos: © 2006 Jaimie Trueblood/New Line Productions

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We went to Italy to visit the set of The Nativity Story, a New Line Cinema film coming to theaters this Christmas. Here's a behind-the-scenes peek at the making of the movie.