Amateur Cast: With the notable exception of Erick Avari, the cast of The Chosen is made up of unknown or obscure actors, given that it is an independently-made TV show made without the backing of a major network. Entering Season 3, as the show's reputation has grown, it has attracted some actors with more established filmographies, though still none to the level of Avari.
Season 1 takes place in 1st century Galilee and culminates in a journey by Jesus and his group to Samaria, but was filmed in and around Pooleville and Weatherford, Texas within the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Season 2 takes place in adjacent regions to Galilee and Samaria, such as Syria and Judea, but was primarily filmed on the LDS Motion Picture Studios South Campus in Elberta, Utah (a rural area near Provo), a site chosen by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because of the surrounding area's similarity to Jerusalem's geography, including hills, plains, cedar trees, and a stream. Creator Dallas Jenkins shared this sentiment, noting the site's similarity to the Holy Land by stating that they could not re-create it anywhere else, adding "you can't even get this in Israel."
Season 3 takes place primarily in Capernaum, but was filmed on a purpose-built site in Midlothian, Texas. The site in Midlothian had been chosen because of its similarities with the Middle East in both topography and weather.
Cast the Expert: Alaa Safi is a martial artist, gymnast, and stuntman, and performs his own stunts as Simon the Zealot.
Dear Negative Reader: Producer Dallas Jenkins is aware that the fleshed out characterization and expanded story arcs are a point of contention for Christians who criticize the show for "changing scripture". He compares this criticism of the show to complaining about a tree in a painting of Jesus because it's not mentioned in the scriptures. If The Chosen were written without taking any creative liberty to fill out details in the lives of the characters, it would be a montage of events in Jesus's life instead of a cohesive narrative. Jenkins also points out that The Chosen is a TV show, not scripture.
Diagnosis of God: Matthew is confirmed by series creator Dallas Jenkins to have Asperger's Syndrome. Given that the series is set in Biblical times, this will never be discussed in-universe.
The Merch: The series has generated marketing spin-offs, partly to spread the Word but mainly to defray the costs of production. As well as books and media to spread the series, there are clothing lines. One has the interesting title of "Binge Jesus", a logo appearing on clothing sold as a tie-in, meant as a sort of visual pun, that if you've binge-watched The Chosen, then come and binge on Jesus, as you can never have too much of Him. Another clothing logo is the Biblical quote "Come And See", a possible reference to John 1:39 - Jesus said, "Come and See.
Novelization: Dallas Jenkins' father Jerry Jenkins, a best-selling author, has turned the first two seasons into novels for those interested.
Big James has had three different actors so far: Shayan Sobhian for the first four episodes of season 1, Kian Kavousi for the remaining episodes of season 1, and Abe Martell who took over the role from season 2 onward.
Yoshi Barrigas was Philip in Seasons 2 & 3, but Philip will be played by Reza Diaco moving forward.
Promoted Fanboy: Fans/supporters were used as extras for the Sermon on the Mount scenes, and for the Feeding of the 5000 scenes.
Before his role as Andrew was decided, Noah James was asked to audition for multiple roles, including Simon and Matthew.
Luke Dimyan originally auditioned for Philip. Though he didn't get the role, he was eventually invited back to play Judas.
Write Who You Know: In many interviews and author commentaries, Dallas Jenkins has confirmed that some story arcs were based off his own personal experiences. The character dynamics between Simon and Eden were inspired by Dallas' own relationship with his wife, while Nathanael dealing with the loss of the job he'd worked towards his whole life mirrors Dallas when he came to terms with his Hollywood career prospects after the failure of his previous film, The Resurrection of Gavin Stone.
Misc:
At the beginning of 2019, the first season of The Chosen became the most crowdfunded film and TV series up until that time by raising around $9 million, an impressive feat that managed to surpass previous record holders backed by established fanbases such as Mystery Science Theater 3000, Veronica Mars, and Super Troopers 2.
the fleshed out characterization and expanded story arcs are a point of contention for Christians who criticize the show for "changing scripture". He compares this criticism of the show to complaining about a tree in a painting of Jesus because it's not mentioned in the scriptures. If The Chosen were written without taking any creative liberty to fill out details in the lives of the characters, it would be a montage of events in Jesus's life instead of a cohesive narrative. Jenkins also points out that The Chosen is a TV show, not scripture.