“The Chosen,” a series about the life of Jesus Christ, has been granted an exemption and will be allowed to continue filming despite the ongoing writers’ strike and actors’ strike in Hollywood.
The Angel Studios series has been granted one of the first exemptions from the Screen Actors Guild to continue filming its fourth season despite the fact that the strike effectively shut down the production of most TV shows and movies.
Creator and director Dallas Jenkins made the announcement that filming would continue. “Great news! We just received word from SAG that we have been approved for a waiver. We’ll continue shooting on Monday,” he said in a statement to USA Today.
“We’ve worked hard to accommodate all of SAG’s requests and their interim agreement,” Jenkins continued. “We appreciate their recognition of us as an independent as well as their hard work in this process.” The director originally reacted to news of the strike using biblical references. “It’s upsetting and will cost time and money,” Jenkins wrote on social media. “But we bring our 5 loaves & 2 fish. God handles the rest.”
“Season 4 is entirely independent and 100% funded by donations,” he said, per USA Today. Even lead actor Jonathan Roumie, who is a SAG member, is permitted to continue working during the strike because of the unique funding for the project.
Jenkins explained that they were granted the exemption due to the fact that “The Chosen” raised $37 million for production based entirely on donations and didn’t rely on licensing deals.
The director previously shared an open plea to SAG-AFTRA on Instagram, saying they were the “good guys” and that they’ve treated their actors “well.”
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“We’ve submitted all the requested paperwork immediately,” he wrote on Friday just after the strike began. “We fit all qualifications for an exemption. You have our application for it. Every day that goes by without your response costs us hundreds of thousands of dollars while your actors are stuck in Utah.”
