Dallas Jenkins on THE CHOSEN’s Success: ‘God Uses The Humbled’
By Movieguide® Contributor
THE CHOSEN creator, Dallas Jenkins, is discussing how the show has impacted him and its audience.
“The different ideas that people have in their heads of who Jesus was is fascinating,” Jenkins said of his passion for telling the story of Jesus.
He also spoke about his desire to humanize these Biblical figures.
“We’re going to take them down from stained glass windows, we’re going to take them down from statues, and we’re going to remind ourselves that these people had the same questions, struggles, and doubts that we have,” Jenkins explained.
In an interview with Deseret News, he elaborated: “What I try to do in the show is I try to remove the veil that we sometimes have and just say, this is what it would have looked like in the first century.”
The director and writer detailed his journey to making THE CHOSEN. Jenkins’ previous movie had not done well, which meant studios weren’t eager to back his other projects. So, Jenkins turned to crowdfunding.
“I imagine that God tends to use the broken and tends to use the humbled, and I wasn’t a humble person until that day,” he said of that moment.
The crowdfunding worked — he raised over $11 million for THE CHOSEN, and the show has gone on to be massively popular.
While many have commented on the power the show has to draw in both Christians and nonbelievers, Jenkins made it clear that that’s not his intent.
“When I’m writing at the computer, when I’m on set directing, I’m not thinking, ‘Oh, I hope this show converts people,’” he said. “That’s not the responsibility of a TV show. Ultimately what happens as a result of the show is between them and God.”
Season 4 of THE CHOSEN is set to debut in theaters this February.
“Last year, we dipped our toes in the water by releasing a few episodes in theaters. The response was so strong, and Season Four is so big, that we knew we and Fathom had to give viewers the theatrical experience for all eight episodes,” Jenkins said in a statement about the episodes’ release.
Movieguide® previously reported on Season 4 of the THE CHOSEN:
THE CHOSEN just dropped the official Season 4 trailer and announced that theatrical tickets for the upcoming season are now available.
“Clashing kingdoms. Rival rulers. The enemies of Jesus close in while His followers struggle to keep up, leaving Him to carry the burden alone. Threatened by the reality of Jesus’ growing influence, religious leaders do the unthinkable—ally with their Roman oppressors. As the seeds of betrayal are planted and opposition to Jesus’ message turns violent, He’s left with no alternative but demand his followers RISE UP,” a synopsis of Season 4 reads.
The trailer shows Jesus and his followers confronting new challenges as they move towards his coming crucifixion.
The eight-episode season will debut in theaters starting this February.
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