Before now, if you’d have asked us what The Chosen had in common with Baywatch we’d have only been able to point to the scene in Season 3, when Christ walks out onto the sea to calm the storm and save the apostles while they rowed back to shore. Now, however, they have a little more in common, as The Chosen prepares to overtake the internationally popular action TV show from the US as the most “dubbed” show ever made.
Dubbing is the process of taking a show in one language and recording voice-overs so that it can be watched in other languages without subtitles. The process can be expensive and arduous, requiring the casting and recording of separate casts of voice actors for each language. For decades, Baywatch has held the record for the most dubbing, with 34 languages that have been broadcast in 142 of the world’s 195 countries.
This year, The Chosen is set to blow the current record away with new dubs bringing its total number of languages to 50. Showrunners of The Chosen don’t intend to stop there, either. In an interview with Christian Headlines, Brad Pelo, President of The Chosen, said that their goal is to dub the show into a staggering 600 languages.
Pelo explained that the dubbing comes largely in thanks to a partnership between The Chosen and the Come and See Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that seeks to grow the reach and impact of The Chosen. Pelo said that much of the dubbing has been funded by donations to the Come and See Foundation, as well as a new partnership with Lionsgate for distribution.
Organizers of The Chosen are very excited about the Lionsgate partnership, because it will allow them to reach an even wider audience, while maintaining complete control of the project. Pelo explained:
“We get to retain control of the creation of the show. … The same people that have written the show in the past will write it in the future. Dallas [Jenkins] will continue to direct it,” Pelo said. “The only role that Lionsgate plays is once we make the show, they want to get it out to the world, just as we do.”
Filming for The Chosen’s much anticipated Season 4 began in March of 2023, with an expected release date in early 2024. Until then, fans can watch previous seasons here.
