Dallas Jenkins Expands The Chosen Franchise

Dallas Jenkins, creator of The Chosen, has launched 5&2 Studios to oversee production of the biblical franchise and expand it beyond drama.

The company has already lined up a new unscripted adventure series, The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls, which will see the celebrity survivalist and adventurer venture in the wild with one cast member each episode. The cast members will explore their personal stories and dive deeper into their own perspectives on the series and the characters they portray.

“This show allows viewers to discover what the real people behind the phenomenal The Chosen series are actually like,” Grylls said. “The wild opens people up in a way nothing else does, and it challenges us to dig deep and find our true selves. This adventure series pushes The Chosen actors like never before whilst also discovering their own personal stories of life and faith. That’s the magic of this new series, bringing new insight and revelation to some of TV’s most loved and watched characters.”

5&2 Studios has also lined up the children’s animated series The Chosen Adventures, featuring Paul Walter Hauser (Black Bird; I, Tonya), Yvonne Orji (Insecure) and two-time Grammy-nominated artist Jordin Sparks, as well as cast members from The Chosen. The kids’ series follows 9-year-old Abby in the Galilean city of Capernaum, around 30 CE. The inquisitive young girl is bursting with questions that she can’t seem to find the answers to. When she and her best friend Joshua meet Jesus, that changes.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Paul, Yvonne and Jordin into The Chosen family as we continue to produce more incredible content for our fans,” said Ryan Swanson, creator and executive producer of The Chosen Adventures and executive producer of The Chosen. “We were surprised and encouraged to discover that children have been watching The Chosen alongside their parents, so we wanted to continue the family co-viewing experience by creating an animated series that is full of humor, heartfelt life lessons, and loveable characters.”

Other projects in development include a three-season series following Moses’ story, a limited series about the life of Joseph and the next chapter following The Chosen with the Acts of the Apostles.

Season five of The Chosen, set to debut in 2025, follows Jesus during “Holy Week,” including the final events occurring through the Last Supper. Season six and seven, launching in 2027 and 2028, respectively, will include special theatrical releases focusing on the Crucifixion and Resurrection. The Chosen is written, directed and produced by Dallas Jenkins and distributed globally by Lionsgate.

Jenkins is serving as chairman and chief creative officer of 5&2 Studios. He also recently directed Lionsgate’s upcoming film The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

“Nearly every time I encounter a viewer, they say something about wanting more Bible content from us,” Jenkins said. “I always say we need to not get ahead of ourselves and remain focused, but now we’ve got a robust enough team to expand our efforts. I’m very excited to bring our ‘Chosen way’ to more great stories from the Bible, and it’s awesome that we get to first announce it [at The Chosen Insiders Conference] to the fans who helped get us here long before we were popular.”