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“It was born from failure.” Those were some of Dallas Jenkins’ first words in a column about his hit series The Chosen that was recently published in AARP. For those familiar with the title, it’s hard to imagine the word “failure” attached to it, as it’s one of the biggest hits that Prime Video has had on its roster in recent years. Even beyond its small-screen success, the production has reached viewers around the globe thanks to theatrical releases that have preceded each of the five seasons’ drops on streaming. And yet, Jenkins, who not only created the project but also serves as director and co-scribe, is the first to admit that The Chosen was not only far from his first choice of where he saw his filmmaking career going, but that he also had several stumbles along the way.

In his column, the creative says that he...

This is an excerpt from TV Guide Magazine’s The Chosen: Special Easter Issue. For a deep-dive into the wildly popular series and its upcoming fifth season, pick up a copy of the issue available on newsstands and order online here. The Chosen‘s creator Dallas Jenkins never set out to make this series. After some setbacks in his professional life, the director and writer shot a short film for his church’s Christmas Eve service called The Shepherd, from the point of view of the shepherds present at Jesus’ birth. The film was a small production, and Jenkins returned to it after making a flop film that could have ended his career. Thankfully, it didn’t. In the Beginning… Dallas Jenkins: The Chosen was born out of failure. I [directed] a feature film, The Resurrection of Gavin Stone, that got released nationally [in January 2017], and it completely bombed at the box office.

Judy Greer is in over her head as the director of her’s church annual Christmas event in the trailer for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

Dallas Jenkins, who created the biblical series The Chosen, directed the Lionsgate holiday film that hits theaters Nov. 8. Pete Holmes, Molly Belle Wright and Lauren Graham also star in the movie that centers on Grace Bradley (Greer) volunteering to direct the annual Christmas pageant before realizing that the involvement of the unruly Herdman children could lead to chaos for the community.

“Jesus was born for the Herdmans as much as he was for us,” Greer reasons in the trailer. “We’d be missing the whole point of the story if we turn them away.”

Jenkins helmed the film from a script he co-wrote with Platte F. Clark, Darin McDaniel and Ryan Swanson that is based on author Barbara Robinson’s 1972 book of the same name.

Adam Driver is front and center in the new teaser for Megalopolis. The self-funded Francis Ford Coppola film will have Driver's character able to control time as the architect seeks to rebuild a city from ruins.

Megalopolis dropped the just over two-minute first look clip on YouTube. The teaser showcases Driver's character, Cesar Catilina, who comes through a window and tentatively eases his way to the edge of a skyscraper. Ceaser is seemingly about to step off the building when he frightfully yells for time to stop. At his command, the cars below and everything else around him pauses as he steps back and contemplates the occurrence. Coppola wrote, directed, and produced the film. Fred Roos, Barry Hirsch, and Micael Bederman also produced. Anahid Nazarian, Barrie Osborne, and Darren Demetre served as executive producers.

Related 'I Hope He's Proud': The Crow Remake Director Says New Film Honors Brandon Lee...

As Francis Ford Coppola's next big film inches closer to a release, the first official look has been revealed. A first look photo has just been released, though it remains unknown when the film itself could be hitting theaters.

The first look photo showcases two members of the movie's star-studded cast. It shows Adam Driver (Ferrari) and Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones) with the sights of a large city seen behind them. Driver is playing an architect plotting to rebuild a city from ruins, while Emmanuel plays the daughter of a corrupt mayor, a foe to Driver's character. Per Vanity Fair, Coppola describes Driver's character as having the "power to stop time," and Emmanuel's character is torn between her love for the architect and her loyalty to her father, forcing her to discover what she truly believes humanity deserves.

Related Francis Ford Coppola Praises Nephew Nicolas Cages Performance in...

Exclusive: Fox Nation is lining up more religious content ahead of Easter, snapping up the rights to both The Chosen and The Passion of the Christ.

Passion of the Christ will be available beginning March 8, while Seasons 1 through 3 of The Chosen are set to debut on Fox Nation on March 10.

Both titles will be available through the peak viewing season, with Passion remaining through Easter and The Chosen staying even longer, through April 21.

In addition to these titles, Fox Nation will also be hosting a roundtable discussion to dissect both programs, led by Fox & Friends host Ainsley Earhardt. Details on guests for the roundtable are coming soon, Fox says.

The Chosen has become somewhat of a hot commodity lately, with The CW picking up the first three seasons last summer. The series about the life of Jesus is from creator, director and producer Dallas Jenkins and stars Jonathan Roumie as the King of Kings.

The Chosen is described as the first multi-season series of its kind. Set against the backdrop of Jewish oppression in first-century Israel, the seven-season show shares an authentic and intimate look at Jesus’ revolutionary life and teachings. The fourth season hit theaters in February, and Season 5 is in production.

It began as a crowdsourcing project on the Angel Studios app and turned into a global hit with over 110 million viewers in 175 countries, with plans to make it available in 600 languages. The series has generated 6.5 million followers across social media, made $35 million at box office in special-event theatrical releases and has spawned an apparel line, best-selling books, DVDs and an upcoming series of graphic novels.

Directed by Mel Gibson, The Passion of the Christ is a 2004 film about the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth (Jim Caviezel). The film opens in the Garden of Olives (Gethsemane) where Jesus has gone to pray after the Last Supper. Jesus resists Satan’s temptations. Betrayed by Judas Iscariot, Jesus is arrested and taken back to within the city walls of Jerusalem where the leaders of the Pharisees confront him with accusations of blasphemy and his trial results in a condemnation to death.

The pic remains the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time domestically, with $370.8 million. It was No. 1 at the North American box office for five nonconsecutive weeks.

Fox Nation has been building its platform on faith-based content, including the docu-drama Jesus Crown of Thorns coming in 2025.

Has The CW just found its foothold under new management?

It sure seems that way, as the network has secured the broadcast rights to one of the most successful independent series of all time.

The CW Network will be the U.S. broadcast home to the first three seasons of the global hit series The Chosen, it was announced today by Brad Schwartz, President of Entertainment, The CW Network.

The acclaimed event series about the life of Jesus from creator, director, and producer Dallas Jenkins and starring Jonathan Roumie as Jesus will premiere on Sunday, July 16 at 8/7c.

The Chosen will continue its run through the fall, with the season three finale airing on Christmas Eve.

“The Chosen is based on the biggest IP of all time and is truly a one-of-a-kind series that tells this historically significant story in a captivating, dramatic, and premium way,” commented Schwartz.

“This show...

Look who’s about to declare thanks be to God: The CW has picked up the first three seasons of The Chosen.

The series about the life of Jesus is from creator, director and producer Dallas Jenkins and stars Jonathan Roumie as the King of Kings. It will premiere on Sunday, July 16, and will continue its run through the fall, with the Season 3 finale airing on Christmas Eve.

This is The Chosen‘s first U.S. broadcast home. Episodes already can be found on Peacock, Netflix, Roku and BYUtv.

“The Chosen is based on the biggest IP of all time and is truly a one-of-a-kind series that tells this historically significant story in a captivating, dramatic and premium way,” said Brad Schwartz, The CW’s President of Entertainment, in a statement. “This show has already connected deeply with viewers around the world, and...

The CW has added another acquired series to its programming roster.

The network, under the control of station group Nexstar since October, has landed U.S. broadcast rights to The Chosen. The drama series about the life of Jesus will launch Sunday, July 16, at 8 p.m. on the network, which will air the first three seasons through the fall before wrapping with the finale on Christmas Eve.

The CW’s deal for The Chosen, a crowdfunded drama from creator Dallas Jenkins (The Resurrection of Gavin Stone), covers the first three seasons of the series. Jenkins has a seven-season plan for the show and is currently in production on season four.

“The Chosen is based on the biggest IP of all time and is truly a one-of-a-kind series that tells this historically significant story in a captivating, dramatic and premium way,” said The CW president of entertainment Brad Schwartz in a statement announcing the deal Friday.

HBO Max is out with its list of everything coming and going from the new streaming service, and the list includes the 2019 film “Harriet” starring Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman.

The HBO Originals coming next month include season four of “Room 104,” HBO Europe’s “Foodie Love,” and documentaries like “Stockton on My Mind” and “Showbiz Kids.” Other films joining include “Motherless Brooklyn,” “Midway,” and “Last Christmas.”

Leaving at the end of the month are “Aquamarine,” “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Long Shot,” “Crimson Peak,” “The Sun Is Also a Star” and “X-Men.”

Also Read: iHeartMedia, WarnerMedia to Co-Produce Companion Podcasts for HBO Max Shows

Here is the full list of everything new and leaving in July:

July 1

Absolute Power, 1997

The Adventures of Pinocchio, 1996

The Amazing Panda Adventure, 1995

American Graffiti, 1973 (HBO)

American History X, 1998

Angels in the Outfield, 1951

Angus, 1995

August Rush, 2007

The Bachelor, 1999

Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero, 1998

Batman and Harley Quinn , 2017

Batman vs.

We did not choose him; he chose us.

It's one of many powerful statements from The Chosen, a provocative, compelling, and inspiring series brought to you by the writer and creator behind The Resurrection of Gavin Stone. 

The series in itself is unprecedented. It's a 100% crowdfunded project, reliant on thousands of investors. It's the largest crowdsourced media project, the first series to stream in over 180 different countries in roughly 52 languages via its app. And it's the first series of this caliber focusing on Jesus. 

These are the facts and figures. But did the Gospels inspired faith-based series following Jesus' journey through the eyes and experiences of those who associate with him live up to the hoopla?

The answer is unquestionably and resoundingly yes.

The Chosen is must-see, even if you're not into Christian or historical programming or particularly religious. It's an extraordinarily created piece and a labor of love in motion.

[Editor’s Note: This post is presented in partnership with Movies on Demand. Catch up on the latest films On Demand here.]

Movies on Demand has another month of audience favorites in store, including some of the most popular titles of the year so far. Check out five of our favorite films from the upcoming month below, as well as the full list of great movies available throughout May.

1) “I Am Not Your Negro” (Available May 2)

Raoul Peck’s documentary about the life and work of James Baldwin is a stunning tribute to the writer’s vital work. Even thirty years after his death, Baldwin’s words still cut to the heart of issues confronting American society. With performances of Baldwin’s writing from narrator Samuel L. Jackson, Peck provides a deeply human gateway to understanding the achievements and contributions of a man who still has much to say about how our country understands race.

2) “The Salesman” (Available May 2)

Somewhat lost in the weeks of Oscars aftermath is the recognition of director Asghar Farhadi’s latest film,...

Welcome back to the Weekend Warrior, your weekly look at the new movies hitting theaters this weekend, as well as other cool events and things to check out.

This Past Weekend:

As per my Thursday update, M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller Split ended up winning the weekend but with way more than anyone, including myself, predicted, with more than $40 million for its opening weekend. That’s pretty impressive, and his first movie to open at that level since 2010’s The Last Airbender. Meanwhile, Vin Diesel’s sequel xXx: The Return of Xander Cage ended up making around where I predicted, taking second place with $20.1 million, not a great sign for the continuation of that franchise. Michael Keaton’s The Founder ended up right around where I predicted with $3.4 million, ending up just outside the Top 10. Hidden Figures, La La Land and Sing continued to do well with minimal drop-offs.

This...

This year has gotten off to a booming box office start, with the drama Hidden Figures surprisingly snapping Rogue One's four weekend winning streak early in the month. After Hidden Figures took two in a row, it dropped in its third, with Universal's R-rated thriller Split taking the top spot with an unexpected $40.1 million, going up against XXX 3, The Resurrection of Gavin Stone and The Founder, which expanded nationwide after an awards-qualifying run in December. It was always going to be a close race between Split and Paramount's XXX: Return of Xander Cage, but Split shockingly doubled XXX 3's estimated opening weekend tally of $20 million.

Box Office Mojo reports that Split pulled in an impressive $13,229 per-screen average from 3,038 screens. It also earned an impressive 75% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and its $40 million debut means it has already earned eight times more than its reported $5 million budget. Split is director...

As indie buyers determine the fate of this year’s Sundance entries, the specialty market continues to swing dramatically between awards players and soft newbies. New limited releases remain flat.

Showing particular strength is Sundance attendee Harvey Weinstein’s designated Oscar contender “Lion,” which saw a tiny drop as it slowly heads toward wider release. It could get a sizable Oscar boost over the next few weeks. Next week after nominations expect wider breaks for some pictures that have played in theaters for while.

Opening

The Red Turtle (Sony Pictures Classics) – Metacritic: 89; Festivals include: Cannes, Toronto 2016

$21,811 in 3 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $7,270; Cumulative: $39,435

This Belgian animated Cannes breakout (a rare European production from Japan’s Studio Ghibli) opened with high-end reviews in its official initial release in New York and Los Angeles (after an earlier Oscar-qualifying one-week run). The grosses didn’t rise to the level its earlier acclaim promised.

2017-01-22T09:26:59-08:00Weekend Box Office: 'Split' Takes the Weekend

Two of the week's new movies landed on top of the box office charts for the weekend. One of those movies far outperformed expectations and turned into a legitimate hit.

The unexpected performer was Split, the new horror film from director M. Night Shyamalan and starring James McAvoy. Most predictions had the film earning somewhere in the $20-million range, but it pulled in about twice that, taking the top spot with an estimated $40 million.

In a distant second place was another new release, xXx: Return of Xander Cage. The action movie starring Vin Diesel took in about $20 million, pretty much in line with expectations. Most observers, though, had thought the film would be a contender for the top spot, but it didn't come close to challenging Split's dominance.

The week's other two new...

M. Night Shyamalan has delivered a second hit in a row as his latest film, Split, is estimated to have delivered a top five January opening, leading the weekend charge with a three-day opening four times as big as its reported $10 million budget. Meanwhile, Paramount's xXx: The Return of Xander Cage delivered as expected while the Weinstein's The Founder scored a top ten finish. Additionally, Disney's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has become the 28th film to top $1 billion worldwide. With an estimated $40.18 million, Split is currently the fourth largest January opening of all-time, just ahead of 2008's Cloverfield, which debuted with $40 million and went on to gross $80 million domestically. This is also a dramatic improvement over Shyamalan's well-received 2015 thriller The Visit, which opened with $25.4 million and went on to gross over $65 million. Should Split be able to pull off a 2.5x multiplier we'd be looking at Shyamalan's first...

Best known as Grant Ward on ABC’s Marvel’S Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., Brett Dalton returned to his roots into indie films.

Lrm caught up exclusively with Dalton on the red carpet at the opening night of the faith-based movie The Resurrection Of Gavin Stone in Fresno, Calif. The film is about a former child star, who had to pick up the pieces of his life by doing community service at a local church in his hometown. He falls in love with the pastor’s daughter and assists on developing a play about Jesus Christ with his acting expertise.

In addition, Dalton also talked about Lost In Florence, another indie film which premieres at the end of this month. The romantic film is about an American who lives in Florence, Italy and participates in Calcio Fiorentino, a version of football.

Lrm would also like to thank Harvest Bible Chapel of...

Dallas Jenkins’ dramedy about a washed-up actor who learns the error of his ways through being exposed to religion doesn’t have an original cinematic bone in its body. But it’s also refreshingly genial and lacking in preachiness for a faith-based film, demonstrating that a lighter touch doesn’t necessary dilute the obvious messaging. Improbably numbering WWE Studios among its producing entities, The Resurrection of Gavin Stone should satisfy its target heartland audience.

At the story’s beginning, the title character, played by Brett Dalton (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D), is at a low point in his life. The former childhood star of a...

While last weekend's new releases failed to energize the box office, two of this week's new titles will top the weekend chart. M. Night Shyamalan's latest thriller, Split, and the return of Vin Diesel in the title role of xXx: Return of Xander Cage are both looking to score $20+ million openings while Hidden Figures and La La Land look to continue to capture audience attention amid their already-strong domestic runs. Additionally, this weekend features the release of The Founder into just over one thousand theaters and High Top releasing brings The Resurrection of Gavin Stone into 887 theaters as it hopes to attract the attention of the faith-based audience. At the top of the weekend box office expect to find M. Night Shyamalan's Split. Shyamalan's career has featured plenty of ups and downs, but following the performance of The Visit in 2015 and the solid early reviews for Split, we...

Finally, new films that could lead Top 10 box office this weekend. Two veteran directors return, with M. Night Shyamalan’s “Split” (Universal) and D.J. Caruso’s “xXx: The Return of Xander Cage” (Paramount) competing with the very strong “Hidden Figures” (20th Century Fox) for the top spot.

At a minimum, this weekend’s totals should stem the box-office slide we’ve seen year. Last year, the same weekend managed only $95 million despite three new releases with “Dirty Grandpa,” “The Boy,” and “The Fifth Wave.” This year’s new films should perform better. As usual, there’s competition from NFL championship games on Sunday, but at least the damage is limited to one day.

Both “Split” and “xXx” target broad-based and international audiences. And with so much studio product now aiming for greater foreign appeal, their performance will be viewed as an early gauge for 2017.

“Split” likely will end up a bit ahead.

Like a lot of bad comedies, the David Spade vehicle Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star has a good premise that the movie doesn’t exploit to its fullest potential. So it’s not meant as any kind of affront to say that The Resurrection Of Gavin Stone repurposes the general idea of that movie, sending debased has-been former kid performer Gavin Stone (Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Brett Dalton) from the outskirts of Hollywood to a stint interacting with “normal” people who couldn’t care less about his faded career. It’s not even a terrible idea for a Christian-themed comedy; it’s easy to see how a damaged former child star might be better off doing community service for a church. But like so many movies designed for believers first and ordinary sinners second, if at all, Gavin Stone has trouble approximating the sensibility of ...

2017-01-18T08:26:16-08:00New Movies January 20: Xander Cage, Multiple Personalities and McDonald's

There aren't going to be many big stars performing in Washington this weekend, but there will be plenty of them at the box office. Four new wide releases come to theaters this weekend, and there's a good chance that a new number-one movie will emerge from the pack of newcomers.

The first of the four new movies is xXx: The Return of Xander Cage. This is the latest installment in Vin Diesel's other franchise, the one that doesn't involve fast cars or furious street racing. The xXx franchise hasn't been near the reliable blockbuster performer as Diesel's Fast and Furious work, but this one could pull in big enough audiences to surge past Hidden Figures, La La Land and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

The other contender this week is Split,...

The 2017 calendar year has gotten off to an interesting start at the box office, with the inspirational drama Hidden Figures pulling off surprise wins over the past two weekends, while La La Land continues to expand and climb up the charts after its impressive sweep at the Golden Globes. This weekend, four new releases will hit theaters, Paramount's XXX 3: The Return of Xander Cage, Universal's Split, The Weinstein Company's The Founder and High Top Releasing's The Resurrection of Gavin Stone, with A24's 20th Century Women also expanding nationwide. When all the dust is settled, we're predicting that XXX: The Return of Xander Cage will come out on top at the box office.

Box Office Mojo reports that, while those aforementioned films will all be released wide, there will be quite the large discrepancy between their theater counts. Both XXX 3 and Split are expected to open in roughly 3,000 theaters apiece,...

Often times, if two movies are less than $1 million apart when the box office estimates are released, those movies will swap places when the actual numbers arrive on Monday. Last weekend, it looked like Rogue One would repeat atop the box office with $21.9 million, with the expanding Hidden Figures following just behind with $21.8 million. When the actual figures were released on Monday, Hidden Figures ended up on top with $22.8 million, just ahead of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story with $22.06 million. This weekend, Hidden Figures managed to expand even further, repeating atop the box office for the second weekend in a row with $20.4 million, in a weekend where two more expanding movies didn't even crack the top 10.

This weekend, both the true story adaptation Hidden Figures and Rogue One went up against three new movies, Paramount's Monster Trucks, Stx Entertainment's The Bye Bye Man and Open Road Films' Sleepless. There...

It wasn't necessarily an exciting Martin Luther King weekend, though it is rather astonishing to see how poorly all but one of the weekend's new and expanding wide releases performed. The weekend's successes find Hidden Figures leading the way for a second weekend, followed by Golden Globe juggernaut La La Land while it was STX's The Bye Bye Man that over performed against tracking and delivered the best new opening among the weekend's new and expanding releases, more than doubling the film's production budget over the four-day weekend. At #1 for a second weekend in a row, Fox's Hidden Figures delivered an estimated $20.4 million for the three-day and is expected to finish over $25 million for the holiday weekend as its domestic cume will near $60 million by end of day Monday. Finishing in second for the three-day is Lionsgate's La La Land, delivering an impressive $14.5 million for the three-day (+43.1%) from 1,848 theaters (+333), including 148 IMAX theaters,...