“Everyone knows the basics of this part of the story, but not everyone knows the ‘why’ of the crucifixion and the extraordinary events of these 24 hours,” Dallas Jenkins, creator, writer, and director of “The Chosen,” said in a press release. “We realized this not only deserved a season of television but a stand-alone full-length theatrical event as well. We wrote and filmed all of it with this in mind.”

The show’s star, actor Jonathan Roumie, has spoken about his experience portraying Jesus’ passion and crucifixion.

“For the first few months afterwards going to Mass — and even thinking about it now — I just get weepy. I get emotional. It’s hard. It’s left an indelible impression on me — mentally and emotionally sharing even just a percentage, a micron of a percentage, of the Lord’s passion; playing it and reenacting it has left me absolutely humbled and moved,” he told EWTN News at ChosenCon on Feb. 20.

The show’s cast spent three weeks filming the crucifixion in Matera, Italy, in June 2025. In a press conference held at the Vatican at the end of that time, Jenkins called the three weeks “the most challenging and difficult we had in filming,” requiring him to surrender everything to Christ.

Abe Bueno-Jallad, the actor who portrays Big James, or James the Great, told EWTN News that during filming, he had “never seen the cast so focused.”

He added that the actors were “all there for each other … Everybody is carrying such a heavy burden this season as an actor.”

“There’s just been incredible stuff happening on set. I’ve come back to set on days that I don’t work just to watch and I’ve seen stuff that gives me goosebumps,” he shared.

In 2025, Amazon MGM Studios and 5&2 Studios signed a deal that made Prime Video the exclusive U.S. streaming partner for “The Chosen.” The deal also provides streaming rights to 5&2 Studios’ future projects including “The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls,” “The Chosen Adventures,” and “Joseph of Egypt.”