The Chosen Season 2
The Chosen is an American historical drama television series created, directed and co-written by American filmmaker Dallas Jenkins.[1] It is the first multiseason series about the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth.[2] Primarily set in Judaea and Galilee in 1st century, the series revolves around Jesus and the different people who met and followed him. The series stars Jonathan Roumie as Jesus, alongside Shahar Isaac, Elizabeth Tabish, Paras Patel, Noah James, and George H. Xanthis.
The Chosen Season 2
The Chosen is an American historical drama television series created, directed and co-written by Christian filmmaker Dallas Jenkins. It is the first multiseason series about the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. Primarily set in Judaea and Galilee in the 1st century, the series centers on Jesus and the different people who met and followed him. The series stars Jonathan Roumie as Jesus, alongside Shahar Isaac, Elizabeth Tabish, Paras Patel, Noah James and George H. Xanthis.
Noticing that there had never been a multi-season, episode-based portrayal of Jesus that could be "binge watched" like shows on streaming mediums such as Netflix,[2][1] Jenkins intended to differ from previous portrayals of Jesus by crafting a story arc that focused more deeply on those who encountered Jesus and viewing him through their eyes.[1] He wanted to present Jesus in a way that is more "personal, intimate, [and] immediate".[3]
The producers have used innovative methods for finance and release, primarily through crowdfunding and distributed by Angel Studios. Using a dedicated app and website, the series is free to watch. Viewers are encouraged, but not required, to pay it forward by contributing to fund future seasons. Fundraising for the first season[3][4] as well as subsequent seasons continues to make The Chosen the most successful crowdfunded TV series or film project.[5] As of 2021, viewers had contributed $40 million towards its production.[5] In late 2022, the creators partnered with a new nonprofit, the Come and See Foundation, to manage funding, which allows contributors to receive a tax deduction for their contribution.[6]
The first season is set in 1st century Galilee, where Jesus starts to build a group for his ministry,[9] inviting several people with different backgrounds.[10] As he performs his first miracles, Jesus calls the redeemed woman Mary Magdalene, the stonemason Thaddeus, the choir member Little James, the fishermen Simon, Andrew, Big James, and John, the caterer Thomas and the vintner Ramah, and the tax collector Matthew to follow him. Jesus also meets with Nicodemus, a Pharisee who is perplexed by the acts of Jesus. The season culminates with the group traveling through Samaria, where, after revealing himself to Photina, a Samaritan woman, Jesus publicly launches his ministry.
Beginning in Samaria, the second season moves into nearby regions,[10] such as Syria and Judea, where Jesus continues to build his group of students. As he continues to perform miracles while preparing for an important sermon, Jesus additionally calls John the Baptizer's disciple Philip, the architect Nathanael, and the Zealot Simon Z. As word of Jesus continues to spread throughout the region,[9] he encounters both opportunities and difficulties.[11] Preparations are made for his Sermon on the Mount with the help of the business apprentice Judas Iscariot.
The group returns to Capernaum in the third season, with the increasing popularity of Jesus troubling different societal and political groups, including the Romans and the Pharisees.[12][13] Following the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus returns to his hometown, resulting in a shift in his ministry. He sends his twelve apostles, two by two, to preach and perform miracles without him, leading to the disciples facing their biggest challenge yet.
In 2017, working through his production company, Vertical Church Films, Dallas Jenkins released a feature-length film, The Resurrection of Gavin Stone, which underperformed at the box office.[15][16] Trying to figure out what his next opportunity would be, Jenkins began binge watching different television shows and realized there had never been a multi-season show about Jesus that could be watched in the same way.[17] Jenkins returned to a script for a short film called The Shepherd, which he had originally written specifically for a Christmas Eve service at his church, Harvest Bible Chapel in Elgin, Illinois. It was filmed on a friend's farm in Marengo.[3] Expanding on that idea, he came up with the concept for The Chosen as a multi-season story arc about the life of Jesus that could build a backstory based on cultural and historical context.[17]
Faith-based video filtering service VidAngel became aware of the film and became interested in expanding the concept. At the time, VidAngel was embroiled in a lawsuit with major Hollywood studios and thus seeking original content to distribute.[18] They suggested putting the short film on Facebook as a concept pilot to generate interest for a multi-season series. The short film received over 15 million views around the world.[2][19]
VidAngel, along with Jenkins and video marketing strategist Derral Eves, used the crowdfunding business model to produce the first season of The Chosen by utilizing a provision of the JOBS Act of 2016. This allowed them to offer a share of ownership and profits from the company to online investors rather than the arbitrary "perks" offered by regular crowdfunding.[19] At the end of January 2019, the first fundraising round had raised over $10.2 million from over 16,000 investors for the project, which surpassed Mystery Science Theater 3000 as the top crowdfunded TV series project. Each investor received equity in "The Chosen LLC", which is regulated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).[1][20] Their equity stake allows them to share in profits not only from the show itself but also from other revenue sources, such as merchandise, books, and bible study materials.[5] Majority shareholders will not receive a share of the profits until the original investors earn 120% of their investments.[5]
After funding the first season by selling equity, the show has utilized traditional crowdfunding for subsequent seasons, along with a model that offers more traditional crowdfunding perks, such as appearing as an extra in the film.[5] The average contribution through crowdfunding efforts is $65.[5] Season 2 fundraising had raised over $6 million from more than 300,000 contributors as of July 1, 2020.[21] As with previous seasons, the producers continue to use the pay it forward model to help fund the development of the show's future seasons.[22] In October 2022, the creators partnered with a new nonprofit, the Come and See Foundation, which was created to manage the show's funding.[8] The nonprofit status allows contributors to receive a tax deduction for their donations.[6]
Being filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic created challenges for the production of season 2. Two thousand extras came for filming the Sermon on the Mount scene, all of whom were required to obtain a negative PCR test prior to filming.[33] Safety precautions such as multiple testing and proper PPE kits for the cast and crew members were also applied. Following COVID-19 protocols increased the production costs by an additional $750,000.[34] Anyone coming onto the set had to be tested in advance and upon arrival, longer meal breaks were required, and all hair and makeup stations had to be sanitized regularly.[32] Jenkins indicated that they experienced less than five positive cases during filming.[32][33]
Filming for season 3 moved production back to Texas, to a site in Midlothian selected for its similarities with the Middle East in both topography and weather.[35] There The Chosen partnered with the National Christian Foundation and the Impact Foundation to construct a $20 million production complex on the site of the Salvation Army's Camp Hoblitzelle. The complex will include a soundstage, set workshops, and a replica of Capernaum. The Chosen will lease the facility, which will also be used for other film and television projects.[5] Beginning in April 2022, filming for season 3 included a four-day shoot for the Feeding of the 5,000 scene, which used nearly 12,000 extras from 36 countries, most of whom came at their own expense and made their own costumes.[35]
Executive producer Dallas Jenkins wanted to produce a multi-season series about Jesus that could be "binge watched".[1] Hoping to distinguish the series from previous portrayals of Jesus, Jenkins wanted to "dig deeper into the people who encountered Jesus",[1] presenting a story that is more "personal, intimate, [and] immediate".[3] The show seeks to give backstories to both the characters and the settings. There are storylines that explore vice and addiction, autism, and physical disability.[5]
The first season was initially released on VidAngel's subscription service and also available for DVD purchase. Viewership was sluggish.[5] In March and April 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the first season of The Chosen was made available for free through its app,[3][2] at which time viewership spiked.[5] Jenkins stated that revenue actually went up after they made it free to watch, attributing it to "God's impossible math".[41] The producers have since made the free-to-watch model permanent, using a pay it forward model for viewers to contribute funding to make it free for other users.[5]
The Chosen has partnered with Fathom Events for cinema exhibition. The first was a Christmas special titled Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers, which opened in 1,700 theaters on December 1, 2021.[46][47] It grossed $13.5 million with one million tickets sold, breaking a record for Fathom Events.[7][48] The effort was to satisfy demand from fans as well as an attempt to drive people back to movie theaters.[46] The first two episodes of season 3 were released in theaters prior to streaming. Screened in more than 2,000 theaters throughout the US, as well as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand,[49] it earned more than $10 million on the opening weekend, outgrossing several Hollywood films.[50] 041b061a72