“The Chosen”, an original series about the life of Jesus, is a hit with a growing audience. Due to its peculiar funding, it was only disclosed through a mobile app and on the project’s website. .
This production by Angel Studios about Jesus of Nazareth and his first followers reached 560 millions of internet views in its first two seasons by viewers from 315 countries and 56 languages. All this, fully financed with a daring crowdfunding operation, which has allowed producers a wide creative independence. And so they want to continue until completing the seven seasons initially planned, with a total of more than 50 episodes.
“Breaking paradigms”
“When you make a movie or a series for others, you have to follow their rules. The golden rule in the Bible is one and in Hollywood it is another. Whoever has the gold sets the rules. Here the rules are established by us and, yes, we are breaking paradigms”. So Dallas Jenkins, the creator, director and co-writer of “The Chosen,” told us while filming the show’s third season last summer in Texas. In 2000, when he had years old, this evangelical Christian, married and father of four, started with his mother, Dianna, a producer at Jenkins Entertainment. His first film was James Anderson’s Hometown Legend, which was distributed by Warner Brothers.
Jenkins was a member of the leadership team at Harvest Bible Chapel, where he served as Executive Director from Vertical Church Media. After directing two short films, Jenkins made his film debut in 2006 with ‘Midnight Clear’, based on a short story written by her father, novelist Jerri B. Jenkins, known for his ‘Left Behind’ saga [lançados no Brasil pela editora Thomas Nelson], which has already sold 50 millions of copies.
“I think ‘The Chosen’ offers an opportunity to approach Jesus not only as God, but also as man”
Dallas Jenkins, series creator
In 2012, Jenkins directed ‘What If…’, about a businessman to whom an angel shows what his life could have been if he had followed God’s call. He then produced ‘The Ride’ (2012) and ‘Once We Were Slaves / The Two Thieves’ (2014)). And in 2012, he partnered with Blumhouse Productions and Warner Bros. Films to produce and direct ‘The Resurrection of Gavin Stone’, a Christian drama that was his biggest professional failure. And then his path crossed with that of the producer VidAngel, today Angel Studios.
The human side of history
“I think The Chosen gives you the opportunity to get closer to Jesus not just as God but also as a man, and not just his disciples but also his enemies. We also treat them like human beings. Even if you are not a believer, you can treasure the historical truth of Jesus, his followers and his time. Also, with a very European style, filmed with a handheld camera, but set in the 1st century”, says Jenkins.
According to many, this humanizing approach is one of the keys to success. from the series. “That was the beauty of Jesus’ way of preaching,” says Jenkins. “He didn’t come to Earth and say, ‘This is the truth!’ He spoke face to face with people and shared the things that mattered to them. We wanted to reflect all of that.”
Another point of attraction for the audience is the relevant role the series plays. confers on many women: the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, Peter’s wife, Tamar, the Samaritan woman… “We know that Jesus publicly revealed himself as the Messiah to a woman, the Samaritan woman at the well. And we know that another woman, Mary Magdalene, was the first person he appeared to after he was resurrected. It seems authentic, true and faithful to show the great role of women in her ministry. He also treated women differently, not the way the culture of the time treated them.”
The quirky approach of ‘The Chosen’ is complemented by its effective comedic jokes. “The sense of humor plays a big role in the show and in my life,” says Jenkins. I think humor makes people more human. When you see Jesus, the disciples, or the Pharisees doing something funny, the relationship between them is more If I tease you, it’s because I trust you, because I know our relationship can handle it. When Jesus hesitates with someone, or jokes with them, or winks at them, the audience thinks, ‘Yes, they were human. things. I also interact with people like that”. And that automatically makes someone who sees ‘The Chosen’ think, ‘Yes, these are biblical stories, but these people were human. I think knowing that he was human and had friends he bonded with like we do helps him love Jesus even more.”