The newest season of The Chosen will include a more serious tone with a little sorrow and lots of surprises for fans, say two producers of the series who have been on the project since the first season.
The Chosen: Season 4 (episodes 1-3) launches in theaters February 1, with episodes 4-6 hitting theaters Feb. 15 and episodes 7-8 debuting Feb. 29. It is the first time that the full season of a television streaming series has debuted nationwide at the cinema.
The trailer, which has amassed 1.7 million views on YouTube, gives a hint of the plot, showing leaders plotting against Jesus, Judas stealing from the treasury and John the Baptist being led to his death. It also shows Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and, in a separate scene, telling his followers, “Upon this rock I will build my church.” At the end of the trailer, Jesus is crying. On YouTube, the trailer soared to No. 2 on the platform’s “trending” chart.
The movie's poster depicts Jesus shedding a tear.
“Season 4 is a new path, so it's starting to get more serious,” co-executive producer Chris Juen told ChristianHeadlines. “We spent the first couple of seasons meeting all the disciples and getting going, but now … everything's kind of hitting a new level. There's some sorrow kicking in. It's a lot of royalty, a lot more color. …The storylines are hitting a much harder spot.”
Juen and his business partner, Chad Gundersen, own Out of Order Studios and are on set daily, helping make the series. Their names are listed in the opening credits in each episode.
“It's a much bigger season. Obviously, everybody knows where it's going, right?” Gunderson told ChristianHeadlines, referencing the crucifixion and resurrection, which are expected in future seasons. “We know the climax to come and the resolution after, but it's just how are we going to do it? How is [director] Dallas [Jenkins] going to direct the ship? And how are the writers going to take us to get there on this journey? And honestly, how are these characters going to respond to some of these things? And I think that's going to be a big surprise to a lot of people.”
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Elizabeth Tabish, who portrays Mary Magdalene, said of Season 4, “There's a lot of pain this season, there's a lot of grief this season.”
“But there's also hope and light,” she told ChristianHeadlines. “It's got some of my absolute favorite stories in the Gospels.”
Season 4 was filmed in the middle of the SAG-AFTRA actors strike and only missed one day of shooting thanks to a waiver that was approved by the union. The Chosen was eligible for a waiver because Season 4 is an independent production and not tied to the major studios that were at the heart of the dispute.
Juen and Gundersen consider the waiver a small miracle. The strike began just as 600 extras -- fans of the show -- were due to arrive on set.
“We had one day of just 600 extras on set, shooting a huge scene with no actors,” Juen said.
The strike ended in time to incorporate the extras in scenes with the actors and actresses.
“The scenes turned out amazing,” Juen said.
Image credits: ©The Chosen / Angel Studios
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.