'The Chosen': Director ponders on success of world's no.1 crowd-funded project

MANILA, Philippines — I have a confession to make. When I first heard about "The Chosen" in late 2019, I did not give it much thought. After all, I had seen so many Jesus films in the past. How could this one be any different?

But when I finally got to watch it, yes, I can say that "The Chosen" is really different, in more ways than one. 

While the “first-ever multi-season show about Jesus” is based on the Gospels, the episodes’ narrative is told from the perspective of the people who had interacted with Him at the time of His earthly ministry. So, we meet, among others, the fiery, impulsive, scheming Simon (before the Lord renamed him Peter); the demon-possessed and lost Mary from Magdala (who was going by the name of Lilith); the reviled tax collector Matthew (rich but rejected by the Jews, including his own family); and the revered teacher of teachers, Nicodemus (so close to the truth but couldn’t take the next step).

Most of their back stories are fictional, though these were derived from Jewish history, culture and traditions, and biblical accounts. But they represented real people who had individual lives, dreams, struggles, joys and victories. They were, taken as a whole, all of us.

I saw a part of me in just about every one of those characters. And as each episode unfolded, it was as if the Lord was speaking directly to me as my TV journey took me from being broken into being redeemed by Him who has called me by my name. As Jesus touched my heart, my 10-hour binge-watching produced rivers of cleansing and joyful tears, as a result of many revelations and breakthroughs that released me into a deeper relationship with Him.

I know I am not alone in this experience. An international fan club of 48,000 (and counting) attests to the life-changing effect of this show on them. Who knows how many more are praising and thanking God out there?

Even Dallas Jenkins, director and producer of "The Chosen," glimpsed a reflection of himself in one of the characters. He shared in an email interview: “I think I would probably identify with Nicodemus the most, even though there are bits and pieces of everyone in me. But Nicodemus was someone who experienced things that made him pursue Jesus on a more personal level, and that's been my story the last few years. Like Nico, I've been a believer my whole life, but it wasn't until recently that I really started to understand what it truly means to surrender and give up my own desires and plans. 'The Chosen' is the result of that. 'The Chosen' is the result of my surrender.”

The son of celebrated "Left Behind" author, Jerry Jenkins, Dallas’ world revolves around movies. Since the age of 25, he has been producing and directing features and short films for media and entertainment companies like Universal, Lionsgate, Pureflix, Hallmark Channel and Amazon. Before "The Chosen," the last film he helmed was "The Resurrection of Gavin Stone," released in 2017. 

But there came a point in his life when what he expected to happen was not what actually happened. Reeling from this setback, he finally surrendered his whole future to what God wanted him to do. Shortly after that, God opened doors for him that no man can shut. And "The Chosen" was born.

Dallas continues that while working on "The Chosen," he thinks that “my relationship with God the Father has changed the most, because I've just learned so much about how to pray to and listen to Him through this whole process. I think the content in The Chosen, and how I portray Jesus, is coming from years of thinking about His humanity, and thinking about what it would be like to be with Him. And I desired to tell stories through the eyes of those who actually met Him, so that perhaps viewers could be changed in the same way the disciples were. I've been thinking about these things for many years, and I finally get to share them in 'The Chosen'.”

As Season 1 continues to reach and bless global viewers from all faiths – well over 50,000,000 views in every country in the world as of writing and with subtitles translated in over 50 languages, including Filipino – preparations are underway for the filming of Season 2 to start in October 2020. The release of Season 2 is projected for Easter 2021. 

To get us more excited about Season 2, Dallas revealed that it is about the building of Jesus’ team. He said: “Jesus calls more disciples to follow Him. And as the group grows, and Jesus becomes more famous, that presents some challenges. What happens when they don't get along? Or what happens when they're in danger? We explore all that in Season 2. Some highlights include the calling of Nathanael and Phillip, the healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda, and the preparations for the Sermon on the Mount.”

Like in Season 1, funding for Season 2 will be raised via crowd-sourcing. "The Chosen" has earned the distinction of being “the #1 highest crowd-funded project of all-time at $10 million from over 19,000 people.” 

Dallas reported that funding for Season 2 was almost at the 75% mark. He said: “It's been going great, but we hope more people will ‘pay it forward’ after they watch the free show so we can continue to give it away for free. People can keep track of the progress in 'The Chosen' app.”

"The Chosen" is completely free to watch on "The Chosen" app that connects directly to streaming devices with no fee or subscription necessary. You can download "The Chosen" app wherever you get phone apps, and it connects free and easy to your streaming device.

About the writer 

Malou E. Rosal has been working in media since the early 2000s.

To date, her Lifestyle-related articles have been published in some of the country’s largest and most prestigious newspapers. She also copyedits various books and magazines. Likewise, she is involved in corporate communications for both secular and Christian organizations. — Videos from The Chosen via YouTube