For fans of "The Chosen," the next several weeks will bring a double treat — first the launch of Season 6 on Prime Video and, several weeks later, a new Christmas special airing nationwide on Fox.
Season 6 launches Nov. 15 on Prime Video, spotlighting the arrest and trial of Jesus as it leads up to a theatrical finale in March, "The Chosen: Crucifixion."
In the middle of that, though, the final chapter in "The Chosen"’s Christmas trilogy, "The Chosen: The Three Kings," will air Monday, Dec. 14, on Fox, telling the story of the wise men who traveled from distant lands to see the Christ child.
5&2 Studios, the company behind the holiday special, announced the cast this week. Taye Diggs portrays Balthasar, with Piter Marek as Melchior and Rahul Rai as Gaspar. Sara Anne and Raj Bond play young Mary and Joseph, respectively.
“This is an opportunity to get even more of "The Chosen" out to new audiences,” said director Dallas Jenkins.
The Christmas trilogy began with "The Shepherd" (2017), which became the pilot for "The Chosen" and followed the shepherds who learn of Jesus’ birth. Next came "The Messengers" (2021), which told the story through the eyes of Mary and Joseph.
Jenkins provided more details about "The Three Kings" in an interview with Brandon Snipe, best known on YouTube as “The Chosen Sleuth.”
“The Three Kings story not only is in many ways a sequel to our first two Christmas episodes … but there's things in "The Three Kings" that … tie into Season 6,” Jenkins said.
“There are some things that play off of that, and so I’ve really been pushing our team to make sure that we get people to find 'The Shepherd' and 'The Messengers,' because there's a lot of Chosen fans who —every time I mention [them] —go, ‘You did a Christmas episode? What's that about?’”
The first two Christmas episodes are available in The Chosen app.
“Watch the Christmas episodes, because they do matter in "The Chosen" canon,” Jenkins added.
A plot summary describes the newest episode this way: “An impossible bright light over the tiny town of Bethlehem astonishes even distant lands. But for three kings, it fulfills a prophecy signaling the birth of a new ruler. Terrified of regime change or even death, they set out on a high-stakes journey to pay tribute to the newborn king. But when they arrive, their shocking discovery changes their lives, and the entire world, forever.”
“This is a really cool opportunity to broadcast this to a big audience,” Jenkins said.
Photo Credit: ©5&2Studios
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
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