'The Chosen' series blessed with strike exemption to finish Season 4: 'Appreciate your prayers'

Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY
Updated ·2 min read
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Prayers for the "The Chosen" have been answered during the ongoing actors' strike.

The streaming faith series, about the life of Jesus Christ, has been granted one of the first exemptions from the Screen Actors Guild to continue filming its fourth season during an actors' strike that has shut down the production of most TV shows and movies.

Creator and director Dallas Jenkins praised the return to shooting the season's final two weeks after just one missed working day due to the strike that began Thursday.

"Great news! We just received word from SAG that we have been approved for a waiver. We’ll continue shooting on Monday," Jenkins wrote.

Jonathan Roumie as Jesus in "The Chosen."
Jonathan Roumie as Jesus in "The Chosen."

"We’ve worked hard to accommodate all of SAG’s requests and their interim agreement," Jenkins said in a statement to USA TODAY. "We appreciate their recognition of us as an independent as well as their hard work in this process."  SAG-AFTRA representatives did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

With a cast led by SAG member Jonathan Roumie as Jesus Christ, "The Chosen" filmmakers had framed the initial shutdown in biblical terms before the reprieve. "It's upsetting and will cost time and money," Jenkins wrote on Twitter. "But we bring our 5 loaves & 2 fish. God handles the rest."

Jenkins cited the streaming phenom show's independent credentials for the clearance. "The Chosen" performed a crowd-funding miracle by raising $37 million to produce the first two seasons, and has relied entirely on donations for each season with no licensing deals.

"Season 4 is entirely independent and 100% funded by donations," Jenkins wrote on Twitter.

The show also had its broadcast premiere Sunday on CW (8 EDT/PDT), which is airing previous seasons through the fall. Global viewers are able to watch for free on streaming services such as Peacock, Roku and The Chosen app.

"The Chosen" Instagram Stories on Tuesday featured Roumie, coffee in hand, and Jordan Walker Ross (as disciple Little James) joking on the Utah set with production underway.

"We appreciate your prayers," Jenkins wrote on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'The Chosen' faith series cleared to finish Season 4 during strike