‘The Chosen’ filmmaker Dallas Jenkins said he might make a feature length film about Jesus
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Dallas Jenkins is days away from the Season 4 premiere of “The Chosen.” He’s been spending his time filming “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” in Canada. And now he’s hinting at making a feature film about the resurrection of Jesus.
“We’re hoping also to potentially do a feature film within that whole storyline, so we’ve got some plans for that that we’re developing now,” Jenkins said to Newsweek about making a movie around the story of Jesus’ resurrection. Whether or not it’ll star Jonathan Roumie, who Jenkins connected with when he worked on making content for his church, is unclear. In a recent docuseries, Jenkins said that Roumie did the best portrayal of Jesus he’s ever seen.
Earlier, Jenkins had hinted to the Deseret News that he had other projects in the works. “We do hope that someday we’ll be able to make some announcements about expanding this ‘Chosen’ universe and Bible universe and telling more stories beyond just the Gospels. But there’s still plenty to do right now. I mean, I still gotta edit Season 4.”
The phrase “this ‘Chosen’ universe and Bible universe” is, of course, evocative of the term Marvel Cinematic Universe. It remains to be seen just how much Jenkins will expand his content.
That’s what he said last fall. Now Jenkins is days away from seeing Season 4 of the show launch in theaters. Every episode of this season is included in a theatrical premiere.
The resurrection will also be included in “The Chosen” series itself. Right now the series is moving a rapid pace toward Holy Week. Jenkins had told Deadline that the crucifixion will occur in Season 6 and the resurrection will be in Season 7.
As for Jenkins’ plans for showing the crucifixion, he has indicated he doesn’t intend on making it graphic. “If I just showed the faces of the disciples watching the crucifixion, that will be emotionally and spiritually devastating,” he told Deadline.
The hint around Jenkins’ movie amid whispers of Mel Gibson making a sequel to “The Passion of the Christ.” “Hey, if Mel Gibson wants to do a Resurrection sequel to ‘The Passion of the Christ,’ I’ll be there to see it, but I know it will definitely look different than mine,” Jenkins told Newsweek. A spokesperson for Gibson confirmed to the outlet the sequel is still in development.
Auteur Martin Scorsese is also making a movie about Jesus.
Scorsese told The Los Angeles Times that he completed the screenplay for a movie based on Shūsaku Endō’s book “A Life of Jesus.” It’ll be on the shorter side for a Scorsese film — which are known for stretching on for hours — and it will focus on “Jesus’ core teachings in a way that explores the principles but doesn’t proselytize.” Previously, Scorsese adapted “Silence” from the same author.
It comes after Scorsese said he was responding to the call of Pope Francis to make movies about Jesus.
“I have responded to the Pope’s appeal to artists in the only way I know how: by imaging and writing a screenplay for a film about Jesus. And I’m about to start making it,” Scorsese said after attending a conference at the Vatican called “The Global Aesthetics of the Catholic Imagination.”
Related
When does the next season of ‘The Chosen’ come out?
Episodes 1 through 3 will be released on Feb. 1, episodes 4 through 6 will follow starting on Feb. 15, and episodes 7 and 8 will come out on Feb. 29.
For more information about the Season 4 release, see this article from the Deseret News.
“Season 4, I think, so far is going to be our most emotionally challenging season,” Jenkins said. “There was the year of preparation, the year of population is happening and he’s increasing in popularity. Season 4 is where it starts to turn.”
Where to stream ‘The Chosen’
“The Chosen” is available to watch on the following platforms: The Angel app and website, The Chosen app and website, Netflix, Tubo, fubo TV, Amazon Prime, Peacock, BYU TV, the CW and Roku.
