As The Chosen barrels toward the Passion and Jesus’ crucifixion, fans may be surprised to know that Dallas Jenkins has already directed a movie about a ‘resurrection.’
With Season 4 streaming now and The Chosen Season 5 in production, the series has finally found some stability after its “legal issues” with Angel Studios.
Jenkins’ journey with the show began in 2017 when he directed a short film revolving around Jesus’ birth — and it became the unexpected proof-of-concept pilot for a series chronicling his life and teachings from the Gospels.
But the filmmaker’s success didn’t come easy. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Jenkins reminisced about the sobering performance of a 2017 movie he directed for Blumhouse: The Resurrection of Gavin Stone.
The movie follows Gavin (Brett Dalton, who appeared in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), a former child star whose drunken misbehavior lands him 200 hours of community service at a church in his hometown.
In a bid to secure the role of Jesus in the church’s annual play, he pretends to be a Christian — but he then “discovers that the most important role of his life is far from Hollywood,” as per the official synopsis. The film also stars Neil Flynn, D.B. Sweeney, and Shawn Michaels — yes, the WWE legend.
The movie received mixed reviews (it has a 54% score on Rotten Tomatoes), but that wasn’t the main problem: it only grossed $2.3 million worldwide, off the back of a $2 million budget.
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Jenkins recalled the film testing “insanely” well in the lead up to its release, but it flopped in theaters. “I was at home with my wife and shell-shocked. I mean, we were crying,” he said.
“I thought this was my chance. I had finally got in the door. I was working with one of the most prolific and influential producers in Hollywood, who liked me. And it just completely failed. I thought, ‘Maybe this is the wrong business for me.’”
Jason Blum doesn’t hold it against Jenkins. “I said the same thing to Dallas that I’ve had to say to other directors, which is this: ‘I’m sorry. I wish we could have delivered a hit for you,'” he explained.
“I bet on the right guy, but the wrong project! I was one too early.”
How to watch The Resurrection of Gavin Stone
The Resurrection of Gavin Stone is only available to buy or rent digitally via Amazon Prime and other on-demand platforms. You can also buy it on DVD or Blu-ray.
In the meantime, check out our breakdowns of The Chosen cast and its filming locations, and find other binge-worthy TV shows to add to your watch list.
