'Survivor's' Mark Burnett makes first scripted effort with 'The Bible' miniseries [Exclusive video]

Married Hollywood power couple Mark Burnett (executive producer of "Survivor," "Shark Tank," "The Voice") and Roma Downey ("Touched by an Angel") are bringing both the Old and New Testaments to the small screen in a biblically big way. The five-part miniseries "The Bible" -- which will air on the History channel in two-hour installments over five weeks -- is way more than sandy treks through the desert and unkempt beards. These carefully selected stories, which cover Genesis to Revelation, come to life through live action and CGI. The price tag: $20 million. Burnett is confident in its success: "More people will watch this than any of our other series combined over the next three decades," he said. This is Burnett's first foray into scripted television.

[Related: Burnett and Downey open up about their epic miniseries 'The Bible']

In this exclusive sneak peek, one of the Bible's most famous stories of faith and steadfastness is presented with chilling realism. Daniel is thrown into the lions' den for violating King Darius's decree. With the door sealed, a freaked-out Daniel comes face to face with these wild beasts, and they look hungry. We all know how the story ends ("My God sent an angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me because I have done nothing wrong," Daniel said), but it's a sure bet that the Christian holy book has never been brought to TV quite like this.

Other stories in this anticipated miniseries include Noah's Ark and Jesus's birth, death, and resurrection.

"The Bible" debuts Sunday, 3/1 at 8 PM on History and will air weekly until the finale on Easter Sunday.