Lionsgate Acquires All Seasons of The Chosen

Lionsgate has acquired worldwide sublicensing rights to all seasons of The Chosen, a historical drama about the life of Jesus from creator, director and producer Dallas Jenkins, outside of the global exclusive release window in the Angel Studios app and The Chosen app.

The show began as a crowdsourcing project and has since grown over 110 million viewers in 175 countries, with plans to make it available in 600 languages. Three seasons have been produced, and season one is available in the U.S. on Peacock, Prime Video and Netflix, while season two can be watched on Peacock and Prime Video.

Elsewhere, The Chosen has reached audiences via Canal+ in France, NPO in the Netherlands, Movistar in Spain and TVP in Poland. A fourth season is currently in production.

The Chosen continues to grow in popularity, with 6.5 million followers across social media and $35 million at the box office in special-event theatrical releases. It has generated apparel, best-selling books, DVDs and an upcoming set of graphic novels. Star Jonathan Roumie has even been invited to the Vatican twice to speak with Pope Francis about his role as Jesus.

While Lionsgate will represent the series globally, the Come and See Foundation will retain and manage licensing rights for all activities within the nonprofit sector.

“Lionsgate is perfect for us,” Jenkins said. “They’re strong and experienced in the areas we’re not, but they also understand what’s unique about us and will protect that. We’ll continue to do what we do best unabated, and they’ll expand our efforts with their tremendous distribution team.”

“The more I learned about The Chosen, the more I wanted to ensure that it is on the best platforms across the globe,” said Jim Packer, president of worldwide television distribution at Lionsgate. “It’s no surprise that an artfully crafted story about such an important historical figure, unlike anything done before, would be in great demand. The multi-season approach has allowed The Chosen to consistently build its audience and generate a unique level of engagement. We’re excited by the opportunity to elevate this incredible property to the next level of worldwide recognition and popularity.”