Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 07/17/23

The Chosen, from Angel Studios

Is a guardian angel looking after the producers of The Chosen? It seems so. From Deadline: The prayers of The Chosen fans have been answered with news that season four of the popular Jesus of Nazareth series has been granted a waiver from SAG to continue filming amid the strike…The Chosen becomes the first known TV series to be granted an exemption. It is widely anticipated that waivers will largely apply to indie films, given that most U.S. series are made with a studio.

I gather that the producers already have the fourth-season episodes of the show written (thus avoiding the snare of the concurrent Writers Guild strike). If true, I guess it amounts to something of a television miracle. BTW, the first three seasons of the worldwide streaming sensation are currently airing via linear TV Sunday nights at 8:00 PM ET on The CW.

Update (from TVLine): The Chosen‘s 90-minute broadcast-TV premiere averaged 520,000 viewers — a far mightier audience than, say, Riverdale, Nancy Drew and The Rising have been averaging this summer — and a 0.1 rating.
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Sound continues to be heard loud and clear. From Forbes: Sound of Freedom—the crowd-funded film based on a former government agent’s pursuit to rescue child sex trafficking victims—moved up the box office ranking in its second weekend in theaters, a rarity for movies and a sign of the strong support for the film, particularly from right-wing audiences, despite the scrutiny it has faced for its lead actor’s ties to conspiracy theories…Last weekend, Sound of Freedom grossed $19.7 million in U.S. theaters and came in third place behind horror film Insidious: The Red Door and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny—but Sound of Freedom outpaced both movies this weekend while boosting its Friday-to-Sunday earnings by some $7.3 million week-to-week.

Apparently a film that shines a light on the issue of international child sex trafficking is now considered by some to be promoting a right-wing conspiracy theory. That didn’t used to be the case – as this 2014 report about the rescue operation upon which the film is based demonstrates.

John W. Kennedy is a writer, producer and media development consultant specializing in television and movie projects that uphold positive timeless values, including trust in God.