By Michaela Gordoni
How did THE CHOSEN, which started as a small crowdfunded project, get to the point where it’s translated into 600 languages and viewed by 200 million people around the world?
“Everything about this thing surprises me,” said THE CHOSEN director and co-writer Dallas Jenkins. “It never stops being humbling.”
THE CHOSEN started as a low-budget project, made outside of Hollywood and mostly funded by individuals. No one thought it would come this far, but each season has just gotten bigger and better. Season 5 debuted in theaters in over 40 countries and made $140 million, per Deadline.
“This is by far the biggest season we’ve ever done,” Jenkins said. “From a strictly artistic perspective, the backdrop, the sets — Jerusalem itself — it’s all on a much bigger stage.”
“This is a side of Jesus you’ve never seen before,” he explained. “We’ve seen hints of this before, but never like this consistently. He literally just upended a marketplace.”
“He cursed a fig tree to death,” he said. “The disciples are asking, ‘Why are you so angry? Why are you so sad?’”
This Jesus knows what is coming, and it’s coming soon.
“We know what happened,” Jenkins says. “But my job is to help you understand the stakes and who’s involved. The Bible gives us the facts; we want to bring the humanity.”
Jenkins strives to show the human side of these true stories, but like any production, the team takes some creative liberties.
Related: Dallas Jenkins Talks The Chosen Season 5 & More!
“Our big word is plausibility,” he said. “If it isn’t factual, is it plausible? If it’s not small-f fact, is it capital-T Truth? That’s what we’re always going for.”
THE CHOSEN portrays Matthew as neurodivergent.
“A family with an autistic son came up to me and said, ‘The portrayal of Matthew helped us realize our son can follow Jesus the same way we can,’” Jenkins said. “That kind of stuff is what surprises me.”
The emotional impact is what keeps bringing fans back to the show.
“That’s what blows me away,” he says. “The same scenes are impacting people, the same emotional reactions are happening everywhere.”
“There’s something special about that gathering of people with a shared belief and a shared passion,” Jenkins said. “Introverts have even told us that seeing it in a theater made it easier for them to connect with others.”
Jenkins says he has no goals for the show other than making it the best they can. His hope for the show is simply that it will draw people to the Bible’s message.
“It’s not that the show brings the Bible to life,” he said. “The Bible has always been alive. The show brings you to life.”
The show’s portrayal of Jesus and His disciples touches viewers on a deep level that’s almost unprecedented in TV history — that’s why it’s successful.
Read Next: How Mary Magdalene Changes in THE CHOSEN Season 5
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