As the Hollywood actors’ strike enters its first week, one show will not be affected. Despite A-list stars like Tom Cruise having to leave their sets following the strike announcement on July 13, The Chosen has received special permission to proceed with production.
The popular series, centered around the ministry of Jesus and his disciples, recently agreed with SAG-AFTRA to continue filming season four of this Bible-based drama. Initially, production was halted at the Utah set when the strike began, but series creator Dallas Jenkins applied for and was granted a waiver from the union.
On Sunday, Jenkins took to social media to share the exciting news: “Great news! We just received word from SAG that we have been approved for a waiver. We’ll continue shooting on Monday.”
Coinciding with this announcement, The Chosen celebrated its broadcast premiere on the CW network. The debut episode, a 90-minute introduction featuring Jonathan Roumie as Jesus, attracted an average of 520,000 viewers, according to TV Line. The CW will continue airing episodes weekly until the season three finale on Christmas Eve.
Although now airing on the CW, The Chosen remains independent and is not affiliated with major studios. Jenkins proudly states that the current season is funded entirely by donations. He also assures fans that the show will adhere to SAG’s requests and guidelines, which outline the unique circumstances surrounding the strike.
“Regarding independently produced content not associated with the AMPTP, SAG-AFTRA plans to offer an Interim Agreement, allowing such productions to continue during the strike, provided the producer agrees to comply with SAG-AFTRA’s terms,” explained Jenkins.
Before the CW deal, The Chosen was exclusively available through subscription on the Vid Angel streaming service, BYUtv, Netflix, and Peacock domestically, while distributed globally through other platforms. The show’s cast members, Elizabeth Tabish (Mary Magdalene) and Patel Paras (disciple Matthew) took to their social media accounts to share the news about the waiver.
According to The Salt Lake Tribune, The Chosen is currently the sole project being filmed in Utah. This state derives approximately $63.8 million in revenue and creates three thousand jobs from the film industry.
“This is a grave matter that affects thousands, if not millions, of people across the country and around the world,” expressed Fran Drescher, president of the Screen Actors Guild, when announcing the breakdown of negotiations with the studios. “I’m truly shocked by how far apart we are on various issues. It’s disheartening to see them claim poverty while allocating millions to CEOs. It’s disgusting, and they align themselves with the wrong side of history.”
Among the demands put forth by the actors are higher wages and safeguards against the unauthorized use of technology to alter their images or performances without consent or compensation. The striking writers also seek increased pay, protection from AI-generated scripts, and higher streaming residuals, among other provisions.
This marks the first time since 1960 that actors and writers have engaged in simultaneous strikes, highlighting their unified stance on these critical issues.
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