“We’re Always Obsessed With Humanity”: Dallas Jenkins Reveals How ‘The Chosen’ Separates Itself From Other Biblical Productions

By the time The Chosen arrived in 2019, the Biblical story of the life of Jesus had already been told numerous times over. In 2004, Mel Gibson made hand-over-fist at the box office with The Passion of the Christ, while years before, in 1988, Martin Scorsese took a swing at his own Biblical epic with The Last Temptation of Christ. And yet, the Prime Video project has taken on a life of its own, drawing in audiences from all walks of life around the globe. Recently speaking with The Direct, ahead of the title’s Season 5 premiere, The Chosen’s creator, director, and co-writer, Dallas Jenkins, revealed why he thought audiences are getting something completely different with his production and what sets it apart from the others that came before it.

At the center of it all, Jenkins believes the tales he and the team have so far broached have leaned into the character building of it all, offering,

“We’re always obsessed with humanity. Jesus and the Apostles are usually portrayed as stained glass windows or paintings, even when they are in film. We are saying, always, ‘Let’s not treat this as a biblical epic project. Let’s treat it as a portrayal of human beings.’ And when that’s happening, and when I do my job as a director of putting the actors in that space of humanity and relationship, it actually becomes easy, because they’ve been together for five seasons now, (so) they’re very close.”

Digging into how that sense of closeness has served the show’s design and how it sets up what’s about to happen in Season 5 and beyond, Jenkins added,

“The characters on screen are very close, and when your teacher and leader and closest friend is telling you that he’s not going to be with you anymore and that he’s about to suffer and that, as they’re doing their honoring of the Last Supper, the Passover meal, which is has tremendous significance for these people, and they’re realizing it will be their last one with him. I think the circumstances play themselves out. So we don’t have to say, ‘Okay, now is when you really have to focus on being emotional and sad.’ I don’t need to do that. We just need to remind ourselves of the circumstances and play them with humanity.”

When Does ‘The Chosen’ Season 5 Arrive on Streaming?

Like the installments that have come before it, Season 5 of The Chosen first enjoyed a cinematic release ahead of its streaming arrival. The episodes played out on the big screen earlier this year, just in time for the Christian holiday of Easter. Now, this weekend, the series will make its Prime Video debut with a two-episode premiere on Sunday, June 15. Beyond that, Episodes 3-5 will drop on June 22, with Episodes 6-8 rounding the season out on June 29.

Stay tuned to Collider for more about The Chosen.

Source: The Direct