10) Production of The Chosen continues despite challenges

Now that we're enjoying Season 3 of The Chosen, it's easy to forget the rocky road that the cast and creators of the show had to weather to get to this point. Outbreaks of COVID and a variety of other hiccups cost the show hundreds of thousands of dollars and may have led to a release date that's later in the year that originally planned. Let's hope the production of Season 4 goes a lot smoother!

9) Playing Jesus?

Atheists will sometimes say Jesus is just another myth like Zeus or Thor. Given the popularity of video games based on Norse mythology, it was only a matter of time before we got a Bible video game that lets players take on the role of Jesus, with mechanics that treat miracles like superpowers. The response from Christians has been predictably critical, but I'm curious how I Am Jesus Christ will be received by secular critics when it's released in 2023.

8) Unfiltered: Gen Z Reacts to The Chosen

During my time serving in youth ministry, I found Bible adaptations like The Chosen to be a really useful tool for helping Gen Z youth engage with Scripture. That's why I've written my discussion guides with an eye toward youth groups. The Unfiltered documentary gives us a window into how The Chosen is speaking to a diverse range of Gen Z youth.

7) The Next Prince of Egpyt?

Biblical narratives are often punctuated by songs that capture key themes or highlight important moments. Perhaps that's why some of the most successful biblical adaptations have been animated musicals. Following in the footsteps of The Prince of Egypt, two more animated films, David (Angel Studios) and The Unusual Tale of Mary and Joseph's Baby (ideaMACHINE) are currently crowdfunding.

6) The Chosen gets new support & oversight

As the production and distribution of The Chosen continues to grow more sophisticated, its costs have almost certainly increased. That's why I'm glad to see it coming under the umbrella of a new non-profit, The Come & See Foundation, which will enable it to receive tax-deductible donations and operate with more efficiency. I also suspect that the shift to Come & See is designed to insulate the show from criticism based on Angel Studios' Mormon connections.

5) A Biblical "What if...?" Story

As a former English teacher, I've seen my fair share of Shakespeare adaptations set in a modern context. Testament takes the story of the early church, originally told in the Book of Acts, and imagines how these events would look in a world where Jesus' first coming didn't happen until modern times. The show is based on a shorter film, which you can stream through Angel.

4) The Chosen breaks records... again

With a domestic gross of $14.4 million, The Chosen Season 3 Premiere set a new record for highest grossing event in the history of Fathom events. The previous record holder? Last year's Christmas with The Chosen ($13.3 million). The Season 3 Premiere beat out several high profile Hollywood films to earn 3rd place in the box office during its opening weekend, a feat that surprised the mainstream entertainment news.

3) Bible Adaptation re-enters the mainstream

This Friday, Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers will air on the CW. In late November, Netflix became the latest streaming service (alongside Peacock, Amazon Prime, & Kanopy) to stream The Chosen. Around the same time, The New York Times ran a massive story covering the success of The Chosen so far. These milestones mark the growing influence The Chosen itself - and they also show that there's a market for Bible movies/TV. That'll almost certainly provide secular media companies with the incentive they need to invest in a few more big budget Bible projects.

Of course, this has happened before. When Hollywood noticed the success of The Passion of the Christ, The Bible miniseries, and Son of God, it responded by investing in Bible epics. The problem is, instead of giving the Christian audience what it was asking for (a textually-grounded adaptation), they gave us Noah & Exodus: Gods & Kings. Let's hope the studios have learned their lesson.

2) Controversy embroils The Chosen

In our highly polarized, pluralistic culture, Bible adaptations almost inevitably generate controversy. Although The Chosen was for the most part able to evade this curse early on, by 2022 debates began to rage: Could Mary Magdalene have fallen back into sin? Was it blasphemous for characters in the show to call John the Baptist "creepy John"? Would Jesus joke?

By far the biggest controversy arose this Fall in response to the Season 3 trailer, in which Jesus says, "I am the Law of Moses." It's a short quote, but it drew a huge amount of criticism. As I've argued on the blog and elsewhere, however, the critiques of this line are completely overblown. I'm encouraged to see how the creators of The Chosen have persisted in the face of all the controversy. Even so, I'm concerned that we're creating an inhospitable environment for Bible Artists that want to be creative and thought-provoking.

1) Season 3 elevates The Chosen to new heights

Although Season 2 of The Chosen included some of my favorite episodes of the show so far (Eps. 3 & 4), the season as a whole felt aimless and disjointed. I was left doubting the creative team's ability to maintain momentum for five more seasons.

Episodes 1 & 2 of Season 3 immediately expelled these doubts. Not only were the episodes interesting and compelling on their own terms, they also provided a clear trajectory for the subsequent season. To put it simply: I can't wait to watch Episode 3, which airs this Sunday, and the remaining episodes, which will be released on a weekly basis going forward.

The Chosen Season 3 Episode 1 & Episode 2: Reaction & Analysis

I am the Law of Moses (The Chosen Season 3 Controversy)

Little James in The Chosen & Scripture (Adapting Biblical Characters)

The Chosen Season 3 Episodes 1 & 2 (Questions to Discuss Before the Premiere)

Two by Two (Exploring The Chosen Season 3 Episode 2 with Youth or Small Group)