"The Chosen" became the largest crowdfunded media project after 16,000 people invested over $10 million into the show. (The Chosen)
Just in time for Holy Week.
"The Chosen," a new series about the life of Jesus, has become the largest crowdfunding media project after 16,000 people invested over $10 million into the show. The first four episodes are now available on TheChosen.tv before streaming through VidAngel, a Christian entertainment app, this fall and the first one is free.
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Director Dallas Jenkins told Fox News the early response has been "pretty overwhelming," considering the whole idea started as a small project at a friend's farm in Illinois and was completed outside the Hollywood system.
"I’ve seen every Jesus movie and mini-series ever made, and I’ve heard these stories hundreds of times, so finding a new perspective while staying faithful to the Gospels was the challenge," Jenkins said. "The response so far has shown we’ve struck a chord."
The Chosen Productions, partnering with distributor VidAngel, first released a concept pilot on social media to gauge potential interest. It was viewed by 20 million people around the world — and that's when they knew it was a project of biblical proportions.
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The first episode is now available to watch free on the show's website, and the remaining three can be purchased.
Early viewers have compared it to other shows like The Crown or Game of Thrones for quality and storytelling but remaining faithful to the Bible.
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“This is what we’ve been looking for," Lucas Miles said, "a biblical series that gets it! The Chosen carries the character development of House of Cards or The Crown, but with an authenticity to the biblical narrative like nothing I’ve ever witnessed in faith-based media. It’s not only redefining crowdfunding, its reshaping how TV is made!”
Many expressed their gratitude for the character development and historical accuracy as impacting them.
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"The Chosen" comes as the film "Mary Magdalene," which promises to deliver a more feminine view of the story of Jesus, has been criticized for not staying faithful to the biblical script.
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