How THE CHOSEN Writers Decide What Bible Stories to Include
By Movieguide® Contributor
Haven’t seen your favorite story from the Gospels in THE CHOSEN? Writer Ryan Swanson explains how the team chooses what moments to include and what stories to skip to keep the show moving.
“We were faced at times throughout this entire series portraying moments that maybe we loved…Forget loving it — it’s there. God put them on the page. We had to dramatic choices based on the coherence of our television show,” Swenson told The Direct. “We needed the series to move in an emotional direction. When it doesn’t, we’re not saying that those things didn’t happen — that they weren’t huge moments or wouldn’t change lives. But they didn’t necessarily make it into our scripts because we were telling the story, and we continued to tell the story of at least 15 people and their walk with Jesus.”
The biggest moment, perhaps, that has been left behind is The Transfiguration — a story told in Matthew, Mark and Luke when Jesus is transformed on Mount Tabor as he speaks with Moses and Elijah. While THE CHOSEN didn’t include The Transfiguration at the same moment it occurs in the Bible, Swenson hinted that fans may see the moment appear elsewhere, whether it be as a flashback or in a newly-announced spinoff series.
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“I would say, if we missed the moment, don’t give up on it. We might get back there, and we might actually get back there in a different series,” Swenson said.
While the writers have yet to reveal if The Transfiguration will make its way into the show through a flashback, Swenson did reveal that there will be many flashbacks in the final three seasons.
“It’s one of our favorite things too. We feel that the Old Testament is all leading up to the New and, to specifically, this week,” he said. “This week [Holy Week], prophecy is fulfilled and so to not allude to things that came before or to not give proper weight to what Jesus was fulfilling that week is to lose the forest for the trees. We need to show an overview, and the way we get there oftentimes is to flashback to the prophets.”
Filming for Season 5 occurred earlier this year, and it is now in post-production.
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The show’s creator, Dallas Jenkins, just announced that it will release to theaters “early” April 2025.
“I don’t know exactly if it’s the first or second week just yet; we’re working out those details. It will be early April, so mark your calendars for that time,” Jenkins said.
Season five follows Holy Week, the final days before Jesus’ crucifixion, and while release specifics are still up in the air, he did share some other exciting news.