CNA Staff, Nov 1, 2023 / 15:06 pm

On Nov. 1 the hit Christian series “The Chosen” released the trailer to its upcoming Christmas special, one that will be shown exclusively in theaters Dec. 12–17.

“Christmas with The Chosen: Holy Night” weaves “The Messengers,” a Christmas special depicting the story of Jesus’ birth, and “The Shepherd,” the pilot episode of “The Chosen,” into one remastered and re-scored story.

The new special tells the story of Jesus’ birth through the eyes of a young mother labeled impure and a shepherd boy considered “unclean.” It also includes a never-before-seen performance from Italian singers Andrea and Matteo Bocelli.

Other performers include Matt Maher, Brandon Lake, Zach Williams, One Voice Children’s Choir, Joy to the World, and the Bonner Family.

Tickets go on sale in the U.S. and Canada on Nov. 20.

Dallas Jenkins, creator, director, and co-writer of “The Chosen,” told CNA in an interview that the new special “turned out better than we expected.”

“We didn’t know it was going to work. We thought it might be clunky and then it turned out beautifully,” he said.

“Even though the crew was different and the setting is different and the sets are all different and we had different levels of resources to work with, the story itself blended together beautifully.”

“We also took six of the performances from the first two specials that were the most resonant with viewers, we put them into this,” Jenkins said. “And we also have an exclusive performance from Andrea Bocelli, of all people, who’s one of the most beautiful voices in the history of the world, who performed ‘O Holy Night’ in Italy for this Christmas special.”

Jenkins urged fans to see it in theaters as “it’s a really beautiful experience.” He said he hopes it will “tide people over until Season 4.”

Originally begun as a crowdfunded project, “The Chosen” is one of the most-watched shows in the world. It has reached more than 600 million combined episode views and has more than 10 million followers on social media.

It is also on its way to becoming the most-translated series in history, according to its creators; the first three seasons will soon be available in 50 languages with plans to subtitle in more than 600.