Osteen thinks the project will have a lasting impact in churches. He plans to use pieces of the project in his services to help illustrate points he'll make in his sermons.

"I know I'm biased because I'm their friend, but I think it'll be something that will live on for generations because it's done with excellence, not knocking anything else, it's just this is production 50 years past where some of the other films were made," he said.

Burnett and Downey also think this project will be their most lasting and most viewed.

Burnett said the couple have deferred all their fees for the project. They probably don't need the money anyway. Forbes lists Burnett as among its 100 highest-earning celebrities with an estimated income of $55 million in 2012.

While the History Channel owns the exclusive North American rights to the project, Burnett and Downey own the rights to global distribution and theatrical airings, which are in the works. There is also a book tie-in, games and apps attached to the project.

For the couple, the project was not about turning a profit, though they likely will. Instead, it was about bringing new life to the stories of their faith for a new audience.

"Will it be screened in movie theaters? Yes, for sure. "Already been approached. Arenas, churches, every way you can imagine," Burnett said.

Burnett ticked through the shows he and Downey have put together over the years. "Over the next 25 years," he said, "more people will see this than all the others combined."