An Inside Look At ‘The Chosen’s’ Revolutionary Production Ahead Of Season Three

MIDLOTHIAN, TEXAS — While “The Chosen” isn’t a miracle quite like Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000, this Gospel-based series continues to turn limited resources into a sensation. As its third season approaches on Nov. 18, “The Chosen” is the most successful multi-season, crowd-funded show of all time.

“The Chosen” chronicles Jesus’ ministry in a deeply intimate and human light. The show’s underdog success story is a credit to the way crowdfunding freed it from the pressures of secular outside studios and networks.

Creator and director Dallas Jenkins quotes the Gospel of Matthew to describe season three.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest,” Jenkins told The Federalist. “The honeymoon phase is over, now the characters all have to deal with the costs and occasional confusions of following the Messiah.”

Courtesy of The Chosen.

Jenkins’ approach to the most important story of all time is what sets “The Chosen” apart from previous retellings of the story.

“From my childhood when I was in church hearing the stories, I always was trying to think about what was happening in between the verses,” said Jenkins. “What was it like Jesus sitting around the campfire with his disciples, Jesus growing up? Some of these people I read about in the Gospels, their stories were so quick. I was always interested in some of the smaller things we don’t necessarily see in the Gospels. Whenever I thought about those things, it made those Gospel moments even more powerful.”

Season three of “The Chosen” will see the apostles facing the difficulties that come with following the radical Messiah. 

The Federalist visited “The Chosen” to talk with the cast and crew as they were wrapping filming of season three at the show’s new set in Midlothian, Texas. Located at The Salvation Army’s Camp Hoblitzell, “The Chosen ” finds the 1,200-acre camp the perfect location to bring to life these biblical narratives. The show took a multi-year lease of 900 acres of the camp during Covid when almost all other filming sites shut down. This allowed for the series to keep filming while also helping keep the camp operational. 

Credit: Elise McCue

Art director Jeff Staebler and production designer James C. Cunningham have playfully dubbed their on-site set “Faux-pernaum,” a play on the biblically significant village Capernaum. The set serves as the primary location for the filming of most scenes in “The Chosen.” 

Despite being dubbed “Faux-pernaum,” the set serves as the location for filming scenes in most all Galilean cities. No detail was too small for Staebler and Cunningham’s set, including first-century graffiti taken from real Pompeii walls. Hidden bible verses are scribbled across the set from cast and crew members. Aside from being incredibly detailed, the set is also versatile. The front porch of one apostle’s home doubles as the interior of another’s dwellings. Standardized measurements for doors allow for the same building to be used for multiple different locations. In total, there are nearly 80