“The Chosen” has found a permanent, exclusive home on Prime Video.
A new wide-ranging deal between Dallas Jenkins' 5&2 Studios and Amazon MGM Studios gives exclusive streaming rights for “The Chosen” and other future projects, such as “The Chosen with Bear Grylls,” to Prime Video.
Amazon MGM Studios will also distribute theatrical releases of the final two seasons of “The Chosen.”
Jenkins, writer-director of “The Chosen,” announced the decision during a livestream Sunday night. He emphasized how a partnership with Amazon MGM Studios will aid in expanding the series' audience.
“We can do things like the Times Square takeover that we did this week. ... We can do things like TV ads. We can do things like more global outreach. We can also rapidly increase our translations. We can supercharge the number of translations that we can do and faster,” Jenkins said during the livestream.
Jenkins said Prime Video exclusivity brings “legitimacy to the show.”
“Being in one place helps people spread the word about it,” he said.
Jim Packer, president of worldwide television distribution for Lionsgate, shared a similar assessment of the deal.
“Amazon MGM Studios is the perfect partner to take this already highly sought-after property to the next level,” he said in a statement, per Variety. “This wide-ranging, multi-territory deal presents a unique opportunity to deepen engagement with ‘The Chosen’s’ loyal fanbase while drawing in new viewers around the world.”
The deal between 5&2 Studios and Amazon MGM Studios has been years in the making, Jenkins said.
He introduced viewers to the two Amazon executives heading the partnership — Vernon Sanders, head of television for Amazon MGM Studios, and Traci Blackwell, senior creative executive at Amazon MGM Studios.
“I am a huge, super fan of the show,” Blackwell said. “This is not just a job to me. This is not just another show I’m working on. This is an assignment for me, this is a God-given assignment.
“Honestly, I could not be more thrilled.”
Will Prime Video influence creative direction of ‘The Chosen’?
Jenkins retains full creative control over “The Chosen,” he told viewers during the Sunday night livestream.
“We said that up front with Prime Video, we said total creative control is a non negotiable,” Jenkins said. “There cannot be any influence from any outside sources. And that ultimately falls on me.”
He continued, “I, Dallas Jenkins, am the final say on every second that you see on any of our projects. ... Nothing that’s going to be in (‘The Chosen’) in the future, is going to come outside of our control, and ultimately mine. And (Prime Video) happily agreed.”
Sanders echoed Jenkins' commitment to maintaining complete creative control.
“We want to lean into what (Jenkins is) doing, and it’s coming from a sincere place of what (he’s) done already,” Sanders said. “I say this to you, every person who’s watching right now, because I think they have a real stake in this as people who’ve helped build this, we are in awe, and we want to respect what you’ve done so far, and we just want to help you get the word out more and support it on a on a bigger way, if we can.”
Will ‘The Chosen’ still be available for free?
“The Chosen” will always be available for free streaming through “The Chosen” app, Jenkins said during the Sunday night livestream.
“I’m going to follow through on my promise to that (‘The Chosen’) is always free,” Jenkins said, but he added that the series availability on the app will look slightly different moving forward.
Following the fifth season’s complete theatrical release, Prime Video owns an exclusive streaming window of the show for 90 days. Once those 90 days are up, the series will release on “The Chosen” app for free streaming.
Jenkins noted that 90 days “is actually a short window of exclusivity. (Prime Video) has been so cooperative with us on making sure that that exclusive window is as short as possible.”
Other projects from 5&2 Studios, such as “The Chosen In The Wild with Bear Grylls” and “The Chosen Adventures,” might be available exclusively on Prime Video for longer than 90 days.
Some shows may never be available to stream free on “The Chosen” app, Jenkins said, but noted the “goal is for every show eventually to be free.”
“I can’t promise everything,” Jenkins said, “but our desire to get this content to as many people as possible all over the world is shared by Prime Video, and of course, Come and See.”
When does ‘The Chosen’ Season 5 come out?
The fifth season of “The Chosen” will be theatrically released in March and April.
Like previous seasons of “The Chosen,” all episodes of the fifth season will be theatrically released before they launch on streaming platforms.
Below are the official theatrical release dates for “The Chosen” Season 5 in the United States and Canada.
- Part 1, Episodes 1-2: March 28
- Part 2, Episodes 3-5: April 4
- Part 3, Episodes 6-8: April 11
Only Part 1 will be released in international theaters, coming to the majority of international theaters on April 10, Jenkins said. In Nigeria and Ghana, Part 1 will come to theaters on April 4.
For those who miss any part the series' theatrical release, the fifth season will be available in full in theaters on Palm Sunday (April 13) and Easter weekend (April 19-20).
No official dates for the streaming release of “The Chosen” Season 5 have been announced yet.
Tickets for “The Chosen” Season 5 are on sale now.
To purchase tickets for the theatrical release of “The Chosen” Season 5, go to thechosenlastsupper.com or check your local listings.