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Writer's pictureThomas Bonifield

A Looming Hollywood Strike Could Shut Down Filming of "The Chosen"

The hit show about Jesus' earthly ministry is currently in the midst of production of Season 4.

Creator/director Dallas Jenkins (center) shares a laugh with cast members during production of Season 4 of "The Chosen."
Show creator/director Dallas Jenkins (center) shares a laugh with cast members during production of Season 4. Image: "The Chosen"/from Instagram.

We have a couple of good-news-bad-news scenarios to bring you about The Chosen, which is currently filming at a mock-up first-century, Holy-land set in Utah. Since Christian Film Blog tends toward optimism and positivity, we shall begin with the good.


A current strike by Hollywood writers in the WGA - Writers Guild of America - will not impact this hit series about the life of Christ, according to the show's creator and director, Dallas Jenkins. In a social media post, he said that since he and his two co-writers are not members of the WGA, that outfit's strike, which is entering its third month, will have no bearing on the show.


The potential bad news, however, is connected to another union that is called SAG (Screen Actors Guild) and represents on-screen talent, as the name suggests. That group is also considering an industry-wide strike, though the deadline for negotiations was recently extended to July 12th, meaning there is still time to avert a shutdown, according to Jenkins.

"But if no deal is made and they strike, we will be shut down…we are a SAG show. That said, there is a chance we could get an exception or a temp deal because we're independent, but that may not happen, and/or we may not do that."

Some more good news: The Chosen is over halfway through production, having already shot the first four episodes of the eight-episode fourth season. Jenkins, who is a committed Christian, added that that will enable him and his team to edit and release those episodes without any delays.


Though there is as yet no date set for them to roll out, past performance would suggest sometime near the end of this year. Christian Film Blog will keep on an eye on developments with the show and bring you updates as we get them.

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