The creator of the The Chosen, revealed several new projects last week at ChosenCon 2024, held in Orlando, Florida.

These projects aim to expand the series’ reach and bring more Biblical stories to life. Fans were thrilled to hear about new scripted shows, spinoffs, and even some unscripted adventures.

Upcoming holiday film: ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’

One of the announcements was an upcoming holiday movie, called The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. It is set to release in United States cinemas on November 8, 2024. Based on Barbara Robinson’s 1972 novel, the story centers around the Herdman kids, a group of troublemakers who take over a church’s annual Christmas pageant. What starts out as a potential disaster transforms into a retelling of the Christmas story, showing the power of redemption and grace.

Dallas Jenkins directed the movie, which is produced by “5&2 Studios”, “Lionsgate” and “Kingdom Story Company.” In an interview with Deseret News, Jenkins stated: “It’s the movie I’ve always wanted to make.”

The cast includes well-known names such as Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls) and Judy Greer (Ant-Man), as well as The Chosen stars Elizabeth Tabish, Vanessa Benavente and Kirk B.R. Woller. Jenkins expressed hopes the film would become a new Christmas classic and would bring a fresh perspective on the true meaning of Christmas: Jesus Christ.

Two upcoming shows on Moses and Joseph

At the K Love Fan Awards in June 2023, Jenkins shared: “After I take a nap for about a year when The Chosen is done, we’ve got other Bible stories to tell, because the demand seems to be so strong.” Apparently, he opted to move on that dream sooner.

On the first day of the conference, he announced plans for a three-season series about Moses. It will explore the life of one of the Bible’s most iconic leaders, focusing on his humanity – his struggles, doubts, and triumphs. Viewers can expect to see a personal, emotional portrayal of Moses’ journey.

In addition to Moses, Jenkins revealed plans for a limited series on Joseph. This story will follow Joseph’s journey from being sold into slavery by his brothers to becoming a ruler in Egypt. Themes like forgiveness, family, faith, and resilience will take center stage, offering a deeper look at one of the Old Testament’s most inspiring stories.

Animated series for children

To engage younger audiences, The Chosen will release an animated series called The Chosen Adventures. This 14-episode show follows two children, Abby and Joshua. The main character, 9-year-old Abby, is “bursting at the seams with questions and feels she doesn’t have the kinds of answers she’s looking for.”

She and her friend live in the small port town of Capernaum roughly about 30 AD. In every episode, the two kids will encounter Jesus, whose voice will be dubbed by Jonathan Roumie. The series will feature the voice of Paul Walter Hauser and Jordin Sparks, blending fun and faith-based storytelling to introduce Biblical themes to children.

‘The Chosen in the Wild’ with Bear Grylls

Jenkins also announced The Chosen in the Wild, an unscripted adventure series hosted by survival expert Bear Grylls.

This six-episode series takes members of The Chosen cast (including Jenkins himself) into the wilderness, where they face challenges while reflecting on their faith and experiences with the show. Produced in partnership with “The Natural Studios” and “5&2 Studios”, the series combines survival adventure with personal Christian faith insights.

Continuing with ‘The Way of the Chosen’

After The Chosen concludes its main storyline about Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension, a spinoff will continue with the birth of the early Church. The new series will be based on the New Testament book of Acts, following the excitement, persecution, and ministry of Christ’s followers in the 1^st century AD.

The working title of the project is The Way of the Chosen, referencing the term “the Way” used to describe the early Christian movement (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14).

The writers aim to provide viewers with a deep, contextual understanding of the challenges faced by the early Church during this critical period. The plot will trace the work of the Holy Spirit from the day of Pentecost onward, the conversion of new groups to the Christian faith, the dramatic transformation of Saul into the apostle Paul, as well as the miracles, hardships, confrontations, sermons, and missionary journeys of the first followers of Christ.

It will offer a fresh look at the spreading of the Gospel, exploring how the apostles travelled the ancient Middle East, spoke boldly about their faith and dealt with persecution.

ChosenCon 2024: Celebrating faith and storytelling

The announcements were made during ChosenCon 2024, an annual conference dedicated to fans of the show. Held in Orlando, Florida, the event brought together thousands of “insiders”, cast members, and creators for a weekend of celebration.

Attendees had the opportunity to listen to panel talks, participate in Q&A sessions with the cast and crew, and get exclusive behind-the-scenes looks. The conference also featured worship sessions with Phil Wickham, a sermon on John 12 by pastor Levi Lusko from Fresh Life Church, and sneak peeks of upcoming content.

The interviews were a highlight of the conference program. First, nine of the twelve actors portraying the disciples shared their experiences from filming Season 5 and the lessons they learned. Following that, a special warm-hearted conversation with actresses Vanessa Benavente, Elizabeth Tabish, Yasmine Al-Bustami and Amy Bailey among others gave insight into their roles as key female characters in The Chosen.

For those who couldn’t attend in person, a virtual experience was offered, allowing fans worldwide to join in.

Global reach and independent vision

The Chosen has grown into a global phenomenon, with hundreds of millions of viewers around the world. Jenkins’ commitment to telling Biblical stories has struck a chord with Christian and non-Christian audiences. The series’ independent production model, funded through crowdfunding, has allowed it to maintain creative freedom while gaining widespread recognition.

The newly established “5&2 Studios” will oversee the production of many of the upcoming projects. The name comes from the Bible’s story of the five loaves and two fishes (John 6:1-14), symbolizing how even small efforts can be multiplied to great effect – a fitting metaphor for Jenkins’ vision.

Looking ahead: Seasons 5, 6, and 7 of ‘The Chosen’

Fans of The Chosen can look forward to three more seasons of the show. Jenkins announced that Seasons 5, 6, and 7 will be released annually, with each season premiering around Easter. Unlike the first four seasons, these final ones will be slightly delayed to ensure simultaneous releases in dozens of languages, making the series accessible to an even wider audience.

For the past three years, the Come and See Foundation has voiced its vision to have The Chosen translated and accessible into 600 languages (covering more than 90% or the world population), with the goal of reaching 1 billion people. The long-term vision for the show and its spinoffs could help to inspire more deeper discussions of the Bible’s material, exposing it to generations of viewers who might not open the Holy Scriptures otherwise.

Being faithful to the Bible

By expanding into new mediums and formats – animated series, unscripted adventures, a reality show – The Chosen is poised to continue redefining how Biblical stories are told. These projects reflect Jenkins’ passion to bring the Gospel to life in a way that resonates with today’s audiences and yet is uncompromisingly faithful to the Bible’s narrative.

For the past four years, every single episode of The Chosen has been accompanied by a roundtable with Bible consultants exploring the event and bringing home all topics, linking it back to the Scriptures. In addition, Dallas’s wife Amanda Jenkins has helped develop a series of interactive Bible studies focused on helping the viewers study the original content of God’s Word.

“It’s so important to connect our viewers back to Scripture,” Amanda recently told Crosswalk Headlines in an interview. “Dallas and I love making this TV show. I like good TV. This is a fun thing that we get to do, and we get to give the Gospel, and it’s incredible. But if this show doesn’t point people back to Scripture, we’ve failed. So, my goal for every Bible study has been to use the love of the show as the jumping-off point for what truly our love should be, which is Scripture. We want to get people back into the Word because that’s going to go on beyond the seven seasons.”