Season four of the highly-praised Jesus of Nazareth series, The Chosen, has been granted the first official waiver from the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) amid the strike in order to continue filming. According to Deadline, the series has already began shooting season four with a full cast and plans to wrap within two weeks.
According to Deadline, the series is a “historical drama [that] tells the story of Jesus through the eyes of those who knew him, charting his teachings and ‘miracles’ as he embarks on his ministry to change the world.” The Chosen definitely has indie roots and is one of the most successfully crowdfunded shows in all of television history. The series raised around $40 million from viewers and the episodes are even made available for free on the app and website.
In an Instagram post by creator of The Chosen, Dallas Jenkins (What If…, Hometown Legend), explained the need for an exemption. Jenkins writes: “we’ve submitted all the requested paperwork immediately. We fit all qualifications for an exemption. 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.”
In a Twitter post from the series’ official account, the post celebrated, saying “great news! We just received word from SAG that we have been approved for a waiver. We’ll continue shooting on Monday.”
It is anticipated that waivers will mostly only apply to indie films. The agreements are allegedly being granted to “truly independent producers,” according to Deadline. So long as the applicants are not affiliated with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television producers. The application process for an exemption waiver is anything but straightforward. For fans of The Chosen, this news is game changer amid the SAG strike.