"The Chosen" Debuts on a Major Television Channel in France

This faith-based series about the life of Christ has already garnered hundreds of millions of views and continues to expand its global reach.

Jonathan Roumie (second from right) plays the Jesus character in the hit series. Image: "The Chosen."

Having recently announced full funding of season three, The Chosen is putting still another feather in its cap: it debuts this week on a French network in the Canel+ family of channels, one of the largest TV groups in the European country. That will certainly help the show expand on its already massive global audience: it has been viewed more than 330 million times.

Jonathan Roumie (center) at the recent Paris premiere of "The Chosen" with fellow cast members Alaa Safi (left) and Amber Shana Williams. Image: "The Chosen"/Instagram.

As part of that Canal+ deal, Jonathan Roumie - the star of this show about the earthly ministry of Jesus - led a delegation to Paris for a premiere showing in a local movie theater before Christmas. In an interview with The Christian Broadcasting Network, the self-identified born-again Catholic told that American channel that he's "honored to be a part" of what God is doing with the show.

The series has no major studio behind it and has been financed almost exclusively through a pay-it-forward program, merchandise sales and a crowdfunding campaign, the latter of which ranks number one all-time among media projects, as we have reported. With free distribution via its app, The Chosen has been watched in literally every country on earth, and the 16 episodes of its first two seasons are available in 50 languages.

Roumie was asked in that CBN interview about the impact of the show and whether he had to "pinch" himself to believe it. The New York-native demonstrated humility and reverence to God in his answer.

"I don't know if I pinch myself. I'm more, 'bow my head to the ground,' because I never feel that I'm worthy of the things that are happening as a result."

The Chosen is slated to run for seven seasons totaling 56 episodes, and creator/director Dallas Jenkins hopes to begin production of season three this spring: there is as yet no word on a possible release date for that, but Christian Film Blog will follow developments and keep you up to date.