The Chosen celebrates its Angel Studios break-up with a kids spin-off with cartoon Jesus

After a messy break-up with Angel Studios, The Chosen creator Dallas Jenkins is going spin-off crazy, including an animated series

By William Hughes  |  September 20, 2024 | 8:17pm
Left: Jonathan Roumie in The Chosen (Image: The Chosen) Right: The Buddy Christ from Kevin Smith's Dogma (Screenshot: YouTube)
TV News The Chosen
The Chosen celebrates its Angel Studios break-up with a kids spin-off with cartoon Jesus

Depending on how you slice it, The Chosen has a decent claim on being the most successful independent TV project in human history. Created by Dallas Jenkins—following, in his own way, in the footsteps of his father, Left Behind co-creator Jerry B. Jenkins—the series takes a “competently made TV drama” approach to the life of Jesus Christ, played by Jonathan Roumie. Meanwhile, it’s taken a “Jesus Christ, that’s a lot of money” approach to its crowdfunding and other revenue sources, with a transparency statement from former distributor Angel Studios claiming the series’ four extant seasons have brought in $281.9 million in revenue. (Of course, said statement was released as part of a very contentious break-up between Angel Studios and The Chosen, Inc., so you might need to take it with a grain of salt. Still: Lot of money.)

And now, wouldn’t you know it, it’s only getting bigger. Variety reports today that Jenkins—speaking at ChosenCon down in Florida, natch—announced the launch of 5&2 Studios, which will both oversee The Chosen, as well as develop new projects set in the “biblical world.” (Someone in some room somewhere has said the words “Christ Cinematic Universe”; we can feel it in our bones.) Does that include a cartoon series where faith-starved kids in Galilee meet their new pal, Cartoon Jesus? You bet your non-secular ass it does, with Jenkins announcing that he’s also cast Jordin Sparks, Yvonne Orji, and the apparently inexhaustible Paul Walter Hauser in voice roles for The Chosen Adventures, which will also feature appearances from the original show’s cast. And that’s not even the weird one: That would be The Chosen In The Wild With Bear Grylls, which, yes, features the celebrity survivalist taking cast members from the show out into the wilderness to open up about their lives and journeys and, presumably, be tempted by Satan, Prince Of The Spirits Of The Air, who is the Devil.

The Chosen, which released its fourth season in theaters over this past year before finally working out its streaming fate, is reportedly filming on its fifth season, which will focus on the week leading to Christ’s death. (Sixth and seventh seasons, focused on the crucifixion and the Resurrection, are also planned.) In addition to the previously noted plans, 5&2 is also reportedly developing a three-season show about the life of Moses, a limited series about divinely mandated step-dad Joseph, and a Chosen continuation titled Acts Of The Apostles. If that all wasn’t enough, Jenkins also has his first studio film coming out soon: His adaptation of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, with Judy Greer and Pete Holmes, comes out on November 8.

 
Join the discussion...