The fifth season of the hit show on the life of Christ, The Chosen, has reportedly finished filming and entered the editing phase. If it follows the same schedule as Season 4, which also finished filming around September 2023, then we could see the first episodes released in January – presumably in theaters again, after the success the show’s fourth season found on the big screen – with its streaming release most likely in the Spring.
It may be a while yet until we see the first trailer for the new season, which is expected to pick up right from the end of Season 4, when Jesus made his way to Jerusalem. Season 5 is expected to follow the Gospel narrative through Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem, the cleansing of the Temple, the Last Supper, and the betrayal of Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane.
That’s a whole lot to edit, especially considering the rigorous 68-day filming schedule, where it was routine for them to film for 12 to 13 hours per day. Thankfully, however, the secondary film crew that constantly records behind-the-scenes footage has been hard at work putting together teasers to whet our appetites for what’s to come.
While there have been several interviews on The Chosen’s YouTube channel, the first teaser to focus on the footage was called “The Romans get rough.” Here we see the filming of one of the show’s rare action scenes, where Roman legionnaires kick open a door to arrest … someone.
While there is little context for the scene, we do get to see how action scenes are filmed. If the breach looked a little too real, it may be because one of the legionnaires was a retired member of a SWAT team.
Sticking to the Roman angle, this sneak peek also shows that Season 5 will further develop the characters of Pontius Pilate, his wife Claudia, and the investigator Atticus. Everything is starting to come to a head for Pilate, who is trying to deal with his wife’s visions. Meanwhile he has an altercation with Atticus, who has become frustrated with the young governor.
Next, The Chosen explored the character of Judas, who is portrayed by Luke Dimyan. With a montage of clips from previous seasons and the new one, they show how Judas’ path to betrayal was a gradual one. In his interview, Dimyan said:
“He’s left his job, he gave his house to his sister. He’s put all the chips on the table onto Jesus. So he doesn’t really have anybody to turn to, to confide in, he’s alone, so he does a small little bad thing. He just takes a little bit of money …”
In the final sneak peek, we get a glimpse at the interactions between the Jewish High Priest Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate. It’s interesting to see how they utilized the same set for both Caiaphas and Pilate’s house, just with different colors and motifs. The hosts also show how the sound stage works to create daytime lighting, even when it’s nighttime outside.
The hosts of the sneak peek noted that there’s way more behind-the-scenes footage on The Chosen app, which is freely downloadable. Be sure to follow The Chosen on YouTube so you don’t miss the release of the first trailer for Season 5.
