Air-Date Coming into View for "The Chosen"

Filmmakers behind this series about Jesus are finalizing launch plans.

A Roman soldier harasses an Israelite in a scene from "The Chosen." Image from the program's Facebook page.

The Chosen is the first multi-season TV series about the life of Christ and it will air on the VidAngel streaming platform. In an update to fans, director Dallas Jenkins says Thanksgiving is a likely target date for launch of the entire eight-episode first season, though something partial may be ready as early as Easter.

This show, which garnered overwhelming public support, is now the number one all-time crowdfunding media project ever, having raised a staggering $13.7 million from 17,000-plus contributors in two campaigns. That is more than double the haul from the previous record holder, Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return.

Jenkins had said earlier that they will spend at least $400,000 per episode and are aiming for six or seven seasons. That should be sufficient to cover the four Gospels and the entire life of Jesus. He adds that there could be more, depending on how things go.

"If people really want it, we would love to do more books of the New Testament. Even in episodes one through four, we often times flash back to some Old Testament stories because the Old Testament is very much a part of the New Testament."

Christian audiences are often leery of filmmakers' taking liberties in their story-telling when covering Biblical subject matter. So how will Jenkins handle that issue?

"We are not changing Scripture. Now we are adding things such as historical context and even Biblical context to some of these stories."

So while he "has no desire to change God's Word," this a dramatic production, not a documentary, and thus there will be a fleshing out of characters and their surroundings. Christian Film Blog will continue to follow developments with The Chosen and let you know once a firm launch date is announced. Until then, you can watch the pilot episode below.