Faith-based television series The Chosen received the first known exemption waiver to continue filming amid the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) union strike primarily due to its crowdsourced funding and independent production.
The blockbuster series about the ministry of Jesus as seen through the eyes of his disciples is filming its fourth season in Utah, Deadline reported Monday.
After announcing that SAG approved The Chosen for a waiver on Sunday, the series’ official Twitter account posted Monday, “To be clear: 1. We’ve agreed to all of SAG’s requests and their interim agreement. 2. Season 4 is entirely independent and 100% funded by donations.”
To be clear: 1. We’ve agreed to all of SAG’s requests and their interim agreement. 2. Season 4 is entirely independent and 100% funded by donations.
— The Chosen (@thechosentv) July 17, 2023
According to Deadline, the full cast of The Chosen, which is distributed by Angel Studios (Sound Of Freedom), an independent company that finances productions through crowdfunding, restarted shooting Monday and is “due to wrap in two weeks.”
The series only missed a couple of days of shooting without its SAG actor cast members, including Jonathan Roumie, who plays the role of Jesus.
The Chosen creator Dallas Jenkins expressed some concern last week about whether the efforts of the show’s officials to apply for the waiver would bring the exemption in time to avoid a filming shutdown.
“Yes, it’s upsetting and will cost time and money…but we bring our 5 loaves & 2 fish,” he posted. “God handles the rest.”
Important update from Dallas on the Screen Actor’s Guild strike, which starts tonight:
Unfortunately, despite the requested work we did on our end, an exemption for us will not be granted in time to avoid a shutdown. We will do a little filming tomorrow of everything that (1/2)— The Chosen (@thechosentv) July 14, 2023
Update: Great news! We just received word from SAG that we have been approved for a waiver. We’ll continue shooting on Monday.
— The Chosen (@thechosentv) July 16, 2023
As Decider reported, Jenkins also posted to Instagram his message to SAG-AFTRA:
We’ve submitted all the requested paperwork immediately. 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.
We’re the good guys; we’ve treated your actors well. Please take the few minutes to approve our application so your actors can get back to work getting paid for the last two weeks of a season they want to finish.
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As Deadline reported, waivers apply primarily to independent films and are granted to “truly independent producers,” rather than projects of big studios, “as long as they are not affiliated with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and agree to be bound retroactively to whatever contract terms eventually are achieved with the AMPTP when the strike is settled.”
The Chosen recently announced a distribution deal with Lionsgate, and the series’ previous seasons have been sold to CW, Netflix, Amazon, and Peacock. Those arrangements, however, only apply to seasons one to three, not the current season being filmed, noted Deadline.
Members of SAG-AFTRA unanimously voted to stop working after their contract expired, and talks ended with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents Disney, Netflix, Amazon, and other streaming companies.
As the New York Post reported, the decision for SAG-AFTRA to strike, joining already striking screenwriters, put “all of Hollywood on hiatus.”
“I cannot believe it, quite frankly, how far apart we are on so many things, how they plead poverty, that they’re losing money left and right when giving hundreds of millions of dollars to their CEOs,” SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher (former star of The Nanny) said, according to the Post. “It is disgusting. Shame on them. They stand on the wrong side of history.”
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Susan Berry, PhD is national education editor at The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “The Chosen” by press.thechosen.tv. CC BY-SA 4.0.
