More than a decade before attaining global success with his series “The Chosen,” Dallas Jenkins had no intentions of building a career in faith-based media.
As a young filmmaker, Jenkins didn’t see where his filmmaking style could fit into the underwhelming faith-based media landscape. He had his sights set on becoming an ordinary filmmaker, “who happened to be a Christian,” Jenkins said.
He recalled feeling “hesitant to tell Christian stories because faith-based movies were so bad, and I was embarrassed by the notion of being a faith-based filmmaker.”
But an experience early in Jenkins’ career pushed him to direct his first faith-based, feature-length film project, “What If...” This month, “What If...” turns 15 years old and will be rereleased briefly in theaters.
In honor of the film’s 15-year anniversary, Jenkins is reflecting on the heavy impact “What If...” had on the direction of his work — and the faith media genre.
Before choosing to direct “What If...,” Jenkins says he “felt God really calling me and putting it on my heart to start making movies for and about him.”
“I felt God just push me and say, ‘Stop apologizing for me, and tell the stories about me and for me and about my people,’” he continued. “I remember saying to God, ‘These movies are so bad.’ And I felt God say to me, ‘Well, then make a good one.’ And I thought, ‘Well, I’ve never considered that.’”
“So I decided to really just unabashedly tell a story that was gospel centered and was unafraid of it, and still was in my style, and still had humor and heart and some zest, but that it was ultimately going to point people to the gospel and not try to do just something subtle. And that led to ‘What If...’”
Inspired by Jenkins’ favorite film, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “What If...” follows a businessman, Ben Walker (Kevin Sorbo), who abandons his faith in favor of financial success.
Ben receives an angelic visitor who provides him with a glimpse of what his life would have looked like if he had married his college sweetheart (Kristy Swanson), settled down and started a family.
The script for “What If...” proved to Jenkins that films with a Christian message could still be interesting, witty, high-quality stories made with a talented cast and crew.
It was also well-received by audiences, but its greater influence, Jenkins said, was how it changed his entire filmmaking direction — ultimately paving the way for bigger projects like “The Chosen” and “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.”
After releasing “What If...,” Jenkins recalled feeling “more confident and free. ... I just felt a sense of freedom,” he said.
“I feel like the success of the movie over 15 years proved what I think God was calling me to do back then.”
When “What If...” makes its brief return to theaters, it will likely find a mixture of both new and returning viewers. For young audiences who did not have the opportunity to see the film during its 2010 release, Jenkins believes the film is “more timely than ever.”
He also expects “The Chosen” fanbase to draw connections between the biblical drama and “What If...”
“I hope people will then see the similarities, you know, the stories of redemption, even though it’s a modern comedy and chosen as a first century drama, I do think people will see the theme of redemption in all my work.”
A decade of faith-based media growth
In the years since “What If...” made its theatrical debut, Jenkins has seen the faith-based media change and grow in ways he never anticipated.
“I think you can just see in the last 10 years, the (faith-based) movies have gotten better, the shows have gotten better, the audience has been easier to reach,” Jenkins said.
He continued, “Just look at what is happening with the major streamers. Prime Video and Netflix have embraced these movies and these shows. And there (were) a couple of times in this year alone where ‘The Chosen’ and ‘House of David’ were both in the top 10 on Amazon; that’s something that never would have been dreamed of years ago”
More than 280 million viewers in 175 countries have seen Jenkins’ biblical drama “The Chosen.” The fifth season of the series, which debuted in theaters in March, made more than $42.4 million in domestic ticket sales, pushing the franchise past $100 million at the box office, as the Deseret News previously reported.
The fifth season, which premiered exclusively on Prime Video in June, climbed to No. 1 on the platform in the United States.
Other faith-based projects, which Jenkins is not involved with, have experienced similar success this year. The Wonder Project’s “House of David” attracted 22 million viewers during its first 17 days on Prime Video.
And Angel Studios’ animated movie about Jesus Christ, “The King of Kings,” which premiered in theaters in March, broke the record for highest-grossing debut for an animated biblical film, earning more than $19 million during its opening weekend.
“I do believe the quality (of faith-based media) is getting better. I believe the money is increasing. I believe that the big studios are starting to see the value of it, and we’re also seeing an increase in the size of the audience,” Jenkins said.
“It’s not just suburban families that are watching these shows and movies. They’re starting to be taken seriously by a larger audience”
When does ‘What If...’ return to theaters?
In honor of its 15-year anniversary, Fathom Entertainment is bringing “What If...” back to theaters on Tuesday, Aug. 5, and Thursday, Aug. 7.
“Dallas Jenkins is a true visionary, and ‘What If…’ is where it all began. Fifteen years later — and after all of the profound success Fathom Entertainment accomplished with Dallas and his team on ‘The Chosen’ — this is a terrific opportunity to revisit ‘What If…’ with a special Fathom presentation,” Ray Nutt, CEO of Fathom Entertainment, said in a statement.
“Audiences are going to be moved by this film all over again—and the new reunion footage makes it even more meaningful for audiences to see it all on the big screen.”
Tickets are available here, or you can check your local theater listings.