“The Chosen” creator Dallas Jenkins has launched 5&2 Studios and revealed a slate of projects in the works — including an animated series, an unscripted show starring Bear Grylls and a multi-season version of Moses’ story.
According to 5&2 Studios’ mission statement, the indie studio plans to “produce Biblically inspired stories through uniquely human and authentic storytelling and audience engagement.” Jenkins was expected to announce the new studio and its upcoming programming plans – as well as the rollout of the final two seasons of “The Chosen” – during this weekend’s “ChosenCon” in Orlando, Florida. cast members and producers behind the series (about the life of Jesus, played by Jonathan Roumie), which started as a crowdfunded indie short in 2017 but has since become a global hit.
Earlier this year, an arbitrator ended the relationship between Jenkins’ The Chosen LLC and former partner Angel Studios, leaving Jenkins with oversight of “The Chosen” while he now builds 5&2 Studios. Season 6 of “The Chosen” will focus on the story of the crucifixion, while season 7 will focus on the resurrection of Jesus. Both seasons will feature eight episodes, and a worldwide theatrical release of extended Crucifixion and Resurrection episodes.
That continues the unique distribution model that “The Chosen” has followed since launch (including “The Chosen” app, theatrical, linear outlets and streaming). Season 5, which began production in April and wrapped in July, is expected to premiere next spring.
Meanwhile, as “The Chosen” continues, the first new series from the 5&2 Studios shingle will be the animated film “The Chosen Adventures,” a youthful take on the Jesus story, with voice actors including Paul Walter Hauser (“Black Bird”) and Yvonne Orji (“Insecure”).
Set in the same time and landscape as ‘The Chosen’, the animated series focuses on Jesus’ interaction with a group of children he meets in the wilderness.
“There is room here to tell the story of Jesus through the eyes of children in a playful form of animation,” says Jenkins. ‘We thought there was something, seeing Jesus through the eyes of children. We won’t go into that in the mothership show. But what if we took the time to do that, in an animated show that was witty and fun that adults could appreciate? We really wanted to arrange this properly. We can’t afford to have our second project come out and have people say, ‘You know what, it’s fine.’ But we really want to make sure the audience really loves it.”
Also in the works: “The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls” is a six-episode adventure series shooting this fall. Jenkins will participate on camera as “The Chosen” fan Grylls (“Man vs. Wild”) guides him through a number of different challenges.
“This is the first of several partnerships in the unscripted space,” Jenkins said. “As a rugged indoor person, I am very afraid of what awaits me. But I’m willing to take one for the team. It’s the idea of working with other people who have their own audience, and bringing our thing into their world.”
After “The Chosen” wraps, Jenkins plans to write, direct and show a three-season series about Moses’ life for his next flagship program.
“There is actually no story in the Bible, perhaps even including Jesus, that contains more pop culture, historical moments, phrases and images than the story of Moses,” Jenkins said. “There is an epic story that can be told. In the middle of it all was a reluctant Tony Soprano, basically the man tasked with leading the world’s largest family – and he didn’t want that. Tony Soprano was always fighting for power, and Moses was always trying to give up that power. And yet he is the one whom God has chosen to lead the greatest religious movement and cultural movement in the history of the world. And he wasn’t qualified. He is given the task of verbally confronting the oppressors and slave owners and convincing them to let the Jewish people go. And he has a speech impediment.
“Just as ‘The Chosen’ asked the question, what would it have been like to meet Jesus and follow Him or oppose Him, I think the story of Moses asks the exact same question,” Jenkins added.
Jenkins said the three seasons will be divided into “the three eras of the Moses story. One of these is the rescue from Egypt. Two is the parting of the Red Sea, the escape, the exodus and the progress to the promised land. And then the third season would be after the 40 years of wandering in the desert, as they actually get to conquer the promised land, Moses doesn’t actually get a chance to experience that. He hands over leadership.”
Jenkins added that after seven seasons of “The Chosen,” he wants to do shorter series in the future. “The mothership show has made me realize that I never want to do seven seasons of anything again as long as I live,” he said. “Some of that may be laziness, but I think this lends itself to three great seasons of eight to 10 episodes each.”
In the meantime, a series on the Acts of the Apostles and a limited series on Joseph are in development.
“This is a story that could be told in eight episodes,” Jenkins said of “Joseph.” “We have writers who love ‘The Chosen’ and want to put their own stamp on it, but who also adhere to the larger ‘Chosen’ story we’re telling. All the filmmakers and storytellers we bring into our group will be people who love the mothership show and have no interest in rewriting the way we do things.
As he builds 5&2 Studios, Jenkins is in talks with streamers about an exclusive relationship for both “The Chosen” and the Expanded Universe.
“The mothership show will always be free, we promised that, and we will never change that,” he said. “It will depend on the other projects. If there’s a streamer out there who’s willing to pay enough to support us and make sure we don’t have to ask people for money, that’s great. We’re going to talk about exclusive ramen and stuff. But we will always be passionate about making sure that people who can’t afford to pay for it, especially in third world countries, have access to it. One of the things that will decide who we work with is who is willing to make sure that we can be sustainable in making these projects for the next ten years and not have to do what I always call ‘dancing for nickels’ on live streams . while at the same time recognizing that a large part of the world needs to see this for free.”
As for how aggressive Jenkins plans to be with 5&2 Studios, he cautions against comparing it to creative universes like Marvel or Star Wars.
“I think Marvel and Star Wars – who I love, and this is not a criticism – but I think they have struggled with oversaturation at times,” he said. “So our strategy remains: ‘Is this a story that only we can tell?’ That means in our style, our approach, ‘The Chosen’ way. With an emphasis on authenticity, the human connection. If it’s a story that only belongs on an epic scale, from a Ridley Scott or a huge studio that’s going to make a sword and sandals epic, then it’s not for us. Someone else can do that just as well.”
In addition, Jenkins is also behind Lionsgate’s upcoming feature film “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” based on Barbara Robinson’s book of the same name. Judy Greer and Pete Holmes star in the film, which hits theaters on November 8.
“Judy and Pete give the movie a kind of tone that I really want for this because it’s not a soft Hallmark type movie, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but I’m really excited about the fact that the book is just as fun , it’s very sharp and very witty,” he said. “It’s not just a cheesy slapstick Christmas movie for kids, but I think it’s for adults too. And Judy and Pete are proof of that. It’s a Christmas story for everyone.”
(An earlier version of the story quoted Jenkins calling himself a “rugged outdoorsman,” when he was actually being ironic and calling himself a “rugged indoorsman.”)