Christian Drama ‘The Chosen’ Gets SAG Waiver to Continue Filming Amid Strike
The Christian historical drama The Chosen has become the first television series to be granted an exemption from the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) amid the ongoing strike.
“Great news! We just received word from SAG that we have been approved for a waiver. We’ll continue shooting on Monday,” the show’s official Twitter account tweeted on Sunday (July 16) afternoon.
The Chosen received its waiver because it is an independent production not affiliated with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). As part of the exemption, the TV series must agree to abide by the contract terms eventually agreed upon with the AMPTP once the strike ends.
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
Directed and co-written by filmmaker Dallas Jenkins, The Chosen focuses on the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, played by SAG actor Jonathan Roumie. The series follows Jesus and the people he met or interacted with throughout his life.
Finances for the series were raised via crowdfunding, making The Chosen one of the most successful crowdfunded TV series of all time. As of 2021, viewers had contributed $40 million towards the project. Episodes are available for free on the show’s website and app.
However, things aren’t completely straightforward, as The Chosen also licenses its content to Lionsgate and has previously sold past seasons to The CW, Netflix, Amazon, and Peacock. According to Deadline, those deals only apply to the first three seasons and not the currently filming fourth season, which is why the show was eligible for an exemption.
Before the waiver was granted, Jenkins took to Instagram to explain why The Chosen should be exempt from the shutdown.
“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,” he wrote. “We’re the good guys. We’ve treated your actors well.”
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The series, which shoots in Utah, temporarily had to film a day or two without the cast until the waiver was granted.
The SAG-AFTRA officially went on strike on Thursday (July 13) night, joining the ongoing writers’ strike against film and television studios.
Numerous productions are now on hold indefinitely until the strike is settled. Similarly to the WGA, the actors’ union is looking for increased compensation, specifically concerning streaming residuals, as well as protections against the use of AI in film and TV productions.
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