The highly anticipated fourth season of The Chosen, the monumentally successful series on the life of Christ, recently finished filming in early September. Now, to celebrate wrapping up the months of recording, the showrunners are sharing some behind-the-scenes footage with fans.
It’s always interesting to see these videos because it gives viewers a chance to see how the sausage gets made, from the brilliant set designs to the relationships between actors when they’re not in character. As always, the cast and crew look as though they had the times of their lives on the faithful project, which seeks to illuminate the biblical narratives on the screen.
This time the video opened up with an interview with Andrew James Allen (Pontius Pilate) and Sarah J. Bartholomew (Claudia), who share their favorite scenes of the season. Allen noted that more of Pilate’s “inner world” is shown in Season 4, showing the ill fated Judean Governor to have many layers. Meanwhile, Bartholomew hyped up the scene between Claudia and Joanna, two influential Roman women.
Next, Giovani Cairo (Thaddeus) gave a tongue-in-cheek interview in which he joked that in this season it is revealed that Thaddeus is the real traitor, who framed Judas Iscariot:
“I’m excited for fans to really realize that Thaddeus is the real Judas and he frames Judas Iscariot, because Thaddeus is also known as Jude and Judas in Scripture,” Cairo joked.
Playing with Cairo’s gag, the filmmakers spliced shots of the show with Cairo’s voice saying “once you make that first cut into the stone it cannot be undone,” with some eerie music.
A really cool moment comes when Austin Reed Alleman (Nathanael) revealed that this season will feature music played by three of the Apostles on authentically recreated 1st-century instruments. They showed a lyre, a three-string lute, and drum, although they did not give any preview of what they sounded like.
While at first we wondered if they might just be props, Alleman noted that they went out of tune between each take, suggesting that the three are actually playing the instruments in the show. Alleman also noted that it was quite an adjustment taking his skills on a six-string guitar to a three-string lute.
The brief 5-minute video offers quite a few little peeks at some of the scenes of Season 4, but many of the actors said they could not reveal their favorite scenes or it might spoil some surprises. Showrunner Dallas Jenkins said he was most excited to release Episode 7. While he did not mention why this might be, the look on his face suggests that there’s some mind-blowing events waiting in the penultimate episode.
The Chosen’s fourth season has not pinned down an official release date, but it is expected to begin in early 2024, either in January or February. Learn more about the hit show on the life of Christ, and learn where to watch, at The Chosen’s official website.
And today we celebrate...