Background and Production

The background and production of the series, The Chosen, are below.

See also: Crew

Development

Dallas directs children on a scene in Season One, Episode 3.

In 2017, working through his production company, Vertical Church Films, Dallas Jenkins released a feature-length film, The Resurrection of Gavin Stone; the film did not perform to the studio's expectations at the box office. While working to determine his next project, 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.

Jenkins returned to a script for a short film called The Shepherd. Filmed on a friend's farm in Marengo, Jenkins wrote the screenplay and intended the film be shown during a Christmas Eve service at his church, Harvest Bible Chapel in Elgin, Illinois. 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.

Faith-based video streaming service VidAngel, now Angel Studios, became aware of The Shepherd and showed interest in expanding on the concept of a Jesus-based series. At the time, VidAngel was involved in a lawsuit with major Hollywood studios and thus seeking original content to distribute. They suggested putting the short film on Facebook as a series pilot to see if interest would be generated for a multi-season show. Jenkins expressed that he was not totally on-board with the potential of crowdfunding, but decided to give the platform a try. The short film received over 15 million views around the world.

VidAngel, along with Jenkins and video marketing strategist Derral Eves, turned to the crowdfunding business model to produce The Chosen. A provision in the JOBS Act that went into effect in 2016 allowed them to offer shares of ownership and profits from the production rather than the arbitrary perks offered by regular crowdfunding. At the end of January 2019, the first fundraising round had raised over $10.2 million from more than 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). 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. Majority shareholders will not receive a share of the profits until the original investors earn 120% of their investments.

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. The average contribution through crowdfunding efforts is $65. Season 2 fundraising had raised over $6 million from more than 300,000 contributors as of July 1, 2020. As with previous seasons, the producers continue to use the pay-it-forward model developed by Angel Studios to help fund the development of the show's future seasons. In October 2022, the creators partnered with a new nonprofit, the Come and See Foundation, which was created to manage the show's funding. The nonprofit status allows contributors to receive a tax deduction for their donations. In March 2024, Jenkins announced a delay in the streaming release of season 4 for legal reasons stemming from a dispute between The Chosen, LLC and Angel Studios, noting that the production costs of the series were proving the previous method of crowdfunding to be unsustainable.

The show also raises revenue through licensing to other streaming platforms and TV networks, video and merchandise sales, and limited premiere runs in movie theaters.

Seven seasons of the series are planned. In 2023, former DreamWorks executive Mark Sourian was hired to lead development of an entertainment universe with future films and shows based on the original series.

Script and Writing

In contrast with typical Bible-focused productions, Jenkins has given more depth to his scripts by adding backstories to various characters from the gospels without contradicting material that is present. This is noted in the opening credits of the first episode, which include the following:

"The Chosen is based on the true stories of the gospels of Jesus Christ. Some locations and timelines have been combined or condensed. Backstories and some characters or dialogue have been added. However, all biblical and historical context and any artistic imagination are designed to support the truth and intention of the Scriptures. Viewers are encouraged to read the gospels. The original names, locations and phrases have been translated into English for anything spoken."

Although the show has an evangelical tendency, there are consultants from three Christian faith traditions providing input. Acting as consultants are Messianic rabbi Jason Sobel from Fusion Global Ministries; Catholic priest and national director of Family Theater Productions Father David Guffey; and professor of New Testament at Biola University Dr. Doug Huffman. They review scripts and provide facts or context on the biblical, cultural, and socio-political history of the storyline. Orthodox Jewish theologian David Nekrutman was appointed as adviser for the show's fourth season.

Jenkins said he draws creative inspiration from shows like Friday Night Lights and The Wire, whereas writers Ryan Swanson and Tyler Thompson list The Wire, Game of Thrones, Battlestar Galactica, and Star Trek as their influences.

Casting

The show features many people of color as actors, which is not often the case in television and film based on the Bible. Jenkins avoided "big stars" and "white people", trying instead to re-create a picture of 1st-century Capernaum—which, being on a trade route, would have reflected a diversity of ethnicities and backgrounds.

Various members of the cast have described a deep connection to the show, the story, and their character. Elizabeth Tabish, who was considering leaving her acting career, described it as a "dream role." Jonathan Roumie said he always aims to "empty out as much of himself as possible" to allow the Holy Spirit to work in him through both the script and his performance onscreen. In describing his preparation for the role, Roumie said that he does "a good bit of reading and rereading the source material" but that most of the preparation is "in the spiritual department".

Filming

Dallas directs on the opening scene of Season Two, Episode 2.

Season 1 was filmed over 60 days mostly around Pooleville and Weatherford, Texas, supplemented by a sound stage and visual effects in a Dallas studio. After searching online for suitable locations, the producers settled on the existing Capernaum Village in Pooleville, a venue that offers both film set rental and live experiences for tourists.

Season 2 moved filming to Utah County, Utah, to a replica Jerusalem movie set built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The set was originally built to authentically replicate most of the primary locations of the ancient city in order to film scenes for the LDS's Bible and Book of Mormon videos. As part of the LDS Motion Picture Studios South Campus, the set's use by The Chosen marks the first time a production not affiliated with the LDS Church has been allowed to film there. Filming occurred during October and November 2020. Commenting on how much the Utah desert resembles the Holy Land, Dallas Jenkins said that they could not re-create it anywhere else—"you can't even get this in Israel."

Being filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic created challenges for the production of season 2. Two thousand extras were used in filming the Sermon on the Mount scene, all of whom were required to obtain a negative PCR test prior to filming. 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. Anyone arriving on 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. Jenkins indicated that the production experienced fewer than five positive cases during filming.

Production of season 3 moved filming back to Texas, to a site in Midlothian selected for its similarities with the Middle East in both topography and weather. 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. When completed, the complex will include a soundstage, set workshops, and a replica of Capernaum. The Chosen will lease the facility, which will ultimately be used for other film and television projects. Beginning in April 2022, filming for season 3 included a four-day shoot for the scene of the feeding of the 5,000, using nearly 12,000 extras from 36 countries. Most of the extras came at their own expense and made their own costumes.

Season 4 production began in March 2023 in Midlothian, Texas. When the series had to stop filming at the beginning of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike on July 14, 2023, fans started a prayer campaign through social media. The series was granted a waiver to continue filming on July 16, 2023. Under the terms of the waiver, the show's producers agreed to be bound to the terms of the collective bargaining agreement retroactively.

Filming of season 5 is scheduled to begin April 11, 2024 and will continue for six weeks in Utah. It will complete production at its Midlothian, Texas facility.

Music

Main article: Music
See also: The Chosen: Season One (Original Series Soundtrack), The Chosen: Season Two (Original Series Soundtrack), and The Chosen: Season Three (Original Series Soundtrack)

To compose the music for the series, creator Dallas Jenkins called on a longtime friend, Jars of Clay vocalist and songwriter Dan Haseltine. Haseltine had worked on projects with Jenkins in the past, composing the music for Hometown Legend. Initially, Haseltine was not interested, believing that there were plenty of similar projects and that the world didn't need another "cheesy Jesus story". After Jenkins convinced him that The Chosen would be different, Haseltine brought in fellow Jars of Clay multi-instrumentalist Matthew S. Nelson to assist with composition. Haseltine has noted that musical influences include Middle Eastern, Indian drone, Delta Blues, and "slave spirituals".