Fox Nation Nabs Rights To ‘The Chosen’ & ‘Passion Of The Christ’ For Easter
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.
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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 (The Resurrection of Gavin Stone, What If…) 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.
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