THE CHOSEN’s Dallas Jenkins Talks ‘Redemptive’ Storytelling
By Movieguide® Contributor
THE CHOSEN creator Dallas Jenkins revealed how he became a storyteller in a new conversation with Kirk Cameron.
His love of storytelling comes from his father, Jerry B. Jenkins, who wrote the popular “Left Behind” series.
“The storytelling gene I did inherit from my dad,” Jenkins shared. “Just in a different medium, of course.”
Jenkins decided to go into filmmaking after working at Chicago’s Harvest Bible Chapel, where he filmed testimonial videos for the church.
“And when I finally got a chance to do a short film, and then ultimately, a feature film, I was like, ‘Oh, my goodness, I am 10 times the storyteller I was two years ago because of these testimony videos,’” he said.
Jenkins continued, “I saw lives changed from some of the [testimonial] videos we were doing. The same way it applies to a TV show — it’s that same structure. It’s in the Gospels. God knew what He was doing when He wrote that book. God knew what He was doing when He was telling our story.”
He explained that all good stories follow a traditional, three-act structure, including those in the Bible.
“That’s the way God tells stories,” Jenkins said. “And they resonate within the human heart…we can see that stories are so powerful, especially when they’re told in that redemptive kind of way.”
In an interview with Fox News, he spoke further about his desire to tell “redemptive” stories, saying, “People are losing interest in religion. They’re losing interest in faith at record numbers, but I don’t think that means that their hearts are still not seeking something bigger than themselves.”
“[The impact of making THE CHOSEN has] been pretty significant,” Jenkins said, adding that his research for the show made him really “get to know” Jesus in a more intimate way.
“What we hear from people all over the world, and particularly in this country, is that the show, as you said, is a game changer for them,” Jenkins continued.
Jenkins and the rest of THE CHOSEN’s cast and crew are preparing for the premiere of the upcoming fourth season, which Jenkins says “is going to be the most impactful season we’ve ever done, emotionally and spiritually.”
He also revealed that there’s a possibility all episodes of the fourth season will premiere in theaters before being put on streaming services.
Movieguide® previously reported on THE CHOSEN’s production:
Despite an industry-wide strike, Lionsgate’s series THE CHOSEN was given a waiver from SAG to continue filming.
THE CHOSEN shared on their Twitter, “Update: Great news! We just received word from SAG that we have been approved for a waiver. We’ll continue shooting on Monday.”
In addition, creator and producer Dallas Jenkins posted a photo on his Instagram which stated, “We’ve submitted all the requested paperwork immediately. We fit all qualifications for an exemption. Every day that goes by without your response costs us hundreds of thousands of dollars while your actors are stuck in Utah.”
He added, “We’re the good guys; we’ve treated your actors well. Please take the few minutes to approve our application so your actors can get back to work getting paid for the last two weeks of a season they want to finish.”
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