Three characters from The Chosen cast will have a huge impact on Season 5, but there is one that audiences aren't likely expecting.
Heading to theaters for a special three-part release, Season 5 of The Chosen is confirmed to cover the week of events leading up to Christ's Crucifixion. In a recent interview, Jesus actor Jonathan Roumie suggested which characters will be driving Season 5's emotional story, setting the stage for the penultimate sixth season.
The Chosen Season 5's Three Major Characters
In talking with Closer Weekly, The Chosen's Jonathan Roumie discussed his experience playing Jesus in Season 5, as well as "the sadness" he felt for Judas and a third character whose struggle will be explored in the new season.
Given the events of Season 5, Judas (Luke Dimyan) was long expected to be integral to the upcoming story since his betrayal of Jesus led to Christ's arrest and Crucifixion.
But in the tradition of The Chosen, Judas' fall is expected to be more personal and nuanced with events unfolding in ways few would suspect, including Jonathan Roumie.
According to the series star, Judas' turn "was something that had more empathy than I was ready for:"
"Ultimately, when we get to the part where there is the betrayal by Judas — the sorrow, the sadness and the devastation [I felt] for Judas. That was something that had more empathy than I was ready for."
The Chosen's director and showrunner Dallas Jenkins previously discussed Judas' heartbreaking betrayal as well, including why the disciples didn't suspect Judas, "the sociopolitical dynamics" at play, and who Judas first approached.
While Luke Dimyan's Judas is a central Season 5 character, Roumie's Jesus is the most important and whose time on Earth is quickly coming to a close with his biggest mission, the Crucifixion and Resurrection, rapidly approaching.
In discussing Season 5, Roumie admitted the season took a toll on him. Leading up to filming the Last Supper, he was dealing with heart palpitations and pain in his jaw.
While the symptoms subsided with prayer, he confessed, "This season I’ve had to let go of so much, and it’s still a struggle."
But along with Jesus and Judas, the interview revealed that Pontius Pilate, and his emotional struggles, will also be explored in Season 5.
First appearing in Season 3, and who returned in Season 4, Pilate, played by Andrew James Allen, is the Roman governor of Judea who will ultimately condemn Jesus to death.
Since his Season 3 introduction, The Chosen has offered audiences a younger, more complex version of Pilate than typically seen in Biblical adaptations.
While his presence was expected in Season 6 for the Crucifixion, it sounds as if The Chosen is opting to explore his journey to that pivotal decision throughout Season 5.
How The Chosen's Judas & Pontius Pilate Are Similar
One of the geniuses of The Chosen is the show's ability to pull back the curtain on known, Biblical events to show the humans who lived through them.
While Jonathan Roumie's Jesus has always been center stage, the show's previous four seasons have also explored the personal lives of his disciples and their families, as well as Pharisees, Romans, and Biblical characters previously known by name alone.
While Jesus remains the constant for Season 5, spotlighting the important characters of Judas and Pilate is likely to be fascinating, as well as tragic, given that these two very different individuals both contributed to Jesus' Crucifixion (and which The Chosen's Dallas Jenkins is already warning fans about).
The fact that Jesus knew what they would do is sure to make their storylines, and any interactions with Jesus, all the more powerful.
Seasons 1-4 of The Chosen is available to stream on The Chosen's free app; Season 5 is set to arrive in theaters in March 2025.
