A David-Goliath tale

Michael Green, creator and executive producer of “Kings,” describes his modern-day retelling of the David and Goliath story as “stealth science fiction.”

“I keep saying, yes, it’s sci-fi, but please don’t tell NBC,” he joked.

It’s difficult to pin “Kings” in a particular genre. The ambitious project updates the biblical tale of David -- a shepherd who helped defeat the Philistines and eventually became king of Israel -- by setting it in a world vastly different from the ancient Middle East.

The time period is now; the place, a kingdom called Gilboa, a land that looks much like the Northeastern United States. The capital city, Shiloh, is a gleaming metropolis that resembles a scrubbed-clean New York. It is ruled by King Silas Benjamin (Ian McShane), a wily monarch who favors power suits over regal robes. When his son, Jack, is taken hostage by enemy troops, a young soldier named David Shepard risks his life to save him. The impetuous act makes him a media darling and propels him into the sphere of the royal family.

Plenty about Gilboa feels familiar, such as the dysfunctional antics of the Benjamins and the shadowy corporation that exerts a heavy influence on the government. But the series is also punctuated with fantastical touches, such as the orange monarch butterflies that flit through the air, anointing those who are destined to lead.

Chris Egan, the Australian actor who plays David (in this version, a farmboy/mechanic), said he grew up hearing the original biblical tale in church and was intrigued when he learned there was an effort to modernize it for television.

“I was curious about how that was going to work out, because I always saw it as a swords-and-sandals piece,” said Egan, taking a break between shooting scenes at a historic Nassau County estate on a recent cold winter afternoon. “But then I read it and I just, wow -- the way Michael Green told the story, I just had to go for it.”

Green, whose mother is Israeli, said the idea came to him during a trip to Jerusalem several years ago.

“A lot of feelings and emotions of the Bible are still resonant today,” he said. “I’ve always been taken with a hero’s journey, and the King David story in the Bible is one of the most classic hero journey’s tales.”

Green wrote the pilot during his first season working on NBC’s “Heroes,” in the middle of the Bush administration.

“Everyone was just seeing the prospect for change on the horizon, the idea of a new king to replace an old king,” he said.

That’s not to say that viewers should see “Kings” as an allegory for the outgoing White House, Green cautioned.

“It’s set in a world that’s much more idealistic than ours,” he said. “It’s a country where people have good reason to believe in their government.”

“Kings” takes place in the modern day, but “it’s a bit of time out of time,” Green explained. To create that parallel universe, the series carefully avoids any pop culture references. The skyline of New York, where the show is shot, has been digitally stripped of iconic structures like the Empire State Building. The New York Public Library was topped with a futuristic glass spire to depict Shiloh’s capitol building.

“The challenge was how to mix the modern and the ancient,” Green said. “How do you sell the idea of a monarchy to a modern American audience? We were so worried people would think it was knights on horses.”

King Silas, he decided, had to be a cross between a CEO and a celebrity. When he wrote the character, he had in mind McShane, a British actor best known for his gritty performance as saloon owner Al Swearengen in HBO’s “Deadwood.” But Green never thought McShane would be interested.

“I resigned myself that no one would be as good as him,” he said.

To his surprise, the actor agreed to read the pilot and then signed on.

“Well, it’s good to be king, isn’t it?” McShane said with a laugh, explaining why he took the part.

“This is an unusual drama for a network, because it has more of a cable feel about it, in terms of the relationships, the depth of the characters,” added McShane, puffing on a cigarette between scenes. “It’s not a procedural, it’s not a hospital drama, it’s not a cop drama, it’s not lawyers, it’s not vampires. But it’s a show about -- well, it’s its own world. It’s a kingdom.”

Then-NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly passed on “Kings” a few years ago, but his successor, Ben Silverman, was an “instant champion” of the series, Green said.

Now the network is counting on the drama to recharge its flagging prime-time lineup. After a two-hour premiere on March 19, “Kings” will take over the plum Thursday 10 p.m. time slot of “ER” after it concludes its run in March.

Egan called the anticipation for the show “a bit scary.”

“As I’m starting to hear the different ideas about publicity and seeing the website and trailer, it’s a little overwhelming,” he said. “But it’s funny, because it’s so similar to what my character is going through, adjusting to this new world. I guess it’s very similar to what I’m feeling now: a responsibility to the show, to doing the best that we can.”

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matea.gold@latimes.com