How has working on “The Chosen” informed your approach?
I’m the second, second assistant director. So I direct all of the background actors on the show. I think we average something like 70 background every day, and that’s not even counting the days where we have thousands for scenes like the feeding of the 5,000. It’s been influential to me to learn from people like Dallas Jenkins. He takes the content very seriously, but it’s also very important to him that the show is artistically satisfying. I think sometimes the problem with Christian productions is they are message first, art second. With “The Chosen,” it’s been really cool to see how they work to get the performances right, the production design, doing the things regular TV shows do to make a good show. The content just happens to be Jesus. I’m trying to apply that same principle to “The Promised Land.” Also just in general, the way the set of “The Chosen” is run is very different and very special, and it’s definitely a good environment to work in. I want to make sure we also have that on our set.
What can you tell me about the show’s cast?
Some of our cast members are also on “The Chosen.” And that wasn’t always the case. When we filmed our pilot, the only cast member who was on “The Chosen” was Wasim No’mani, who plays a Pharisee named Yanni on “The Chosen,” and Moses in “The Promised Land.” When we were editing, I showed one of the early cuts to Dallas (Jenkins), and he was like, your cast is incredible. He cast several of them in Season Four of “The Chosen.”
This show has gone from idea to reality very quickly. What made that possible?
In addition to our investors, we have “The Chosen” to thank in part for that too. I told the producers in the summer of 2022, when we were filming Season Three, listen, we don’t have much of a budget, and I’m going to need tents, props and costumes. I think a big part of what made it happen is the fact that I was able to go up to some of my fellow crew members and say, will you help me out with this one-week shoot, right after we wrap season three? And the producers were very kind to let us rent for cheap out of the materials we used for production.
Who is the target audience?
I view the target audience as predominantly millennials and Gen Z, especially people who have a degree of connection to faith. I’m a millennial born in the ’90s, and this kind of show, if I wasn’t the one making it, would really appeal to me. I think a lot of Christian content focuses on things that are not currently factors in my life, like being a father, or dealing with serious issues of faith. And I’m not saying any of that is wrong. But what do I watch all the time? I watch half-hour comedy shows. I think I’m not alone in that.
“The Promised Land” writer and director Mitch Hudson, left, with actor Wasim No’mani, center, who portrays Moses. (Photo © Sebastian Molina)
