The Chosen One (2023 TV series)

The Chosen One (Spanish: El Elegido) is a fantasy television series developed by Everardo and Leopoldo Gout, and Jorge Dorantes for Netflix. The series is based on the 2004–23 comic book series American Jesus (initially titled Chosen) by Mark Millar and Peter Gross, and follows a boy who discovers he has the abilities of Jesus Christ. Unlike the source material, the show takes place in Mexico rather than the United States. The series features an ensemble cast starring Bobby Luhnow, Dianna Agron, Lilith Amelie Siordia Mejia, Juan Fernando González Anguamea, Jorge Javier Arballo, Alejandro Edda, Alberto Pérez-Jácome Kenna, Patricio Serna Meza, Carlos Bardem, Alfonso Dosal, Sofía Sisniega, Eileen Yáñez, and Tenoch Huerta. It released on August 16, 2023.

Premise
"Jodie, a twelve-year-old boy in Baja California, suddenly discovers he has Jesus-like powers: he can turn water into wine, make the crippled walk, and, perhaps, even raise the dead, which he does on at least two occasions. As the Evangelical and the Yaquí leaders in town try to get him to use his powers to save humankind, all Jodie wants to do initially is to impress the girl he likes and stand up to his bullies. As Jodie struggles and eventually comes to terms with his destiny as a channel for higher powers, everything gets thrown for a loop when he discovers the truth around his identity." The series ends with a puzzle: is he a force for good or evil, and will a great war between these forces take place?

Production
Initially, Mark Millar and Peter Gross' Millarworld comic book trilogy Chosen (American Jesus) was set to be adapted into a feature film in March 2009, with Matthew Vaughn to direct, and produce under his Marv Films banner with Kris Thykier, after collaborating with Millar on Kick-Ass (2010). However, Vaughn denied he was directing the movie, and claimed to have only been discussing with Millar. Waypoint Entertainment was also to be involved, and attempted to restart the project in 2016.

In July 2018, a multilingual television series adaptation of the comic was announced (alongside other Millarworld properties) for Netflix, with Everardo and Leopoldo Gout serving as showrunners and executive producers, with the former also directing.

Principal photography was set to begin sometime in spring 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming eventually commenced on April 25, 2022, in Baja California in Mexico. On June 16, 2022, a van accident occurred outside the set that killed two cast members, and injured six crew members from the show, as a result of a new driver going at high speeds combined with a majority of the passengers not wearing seatbelts, leading production company Redrum to suspend production temporarily. Additionally, a writer on the show, Rick Zazueta, had claimed in a Facebook post that other cast members had expressed concerns over "logistical and transportation issues" prior to the accident.

The series had its first look at the 2022 Netflix Tudum event, where Tenoch Huerta and Dianna Agron were announced as part of the cast.

Release
In March 2023, Netflix officially announced the series, on top of revealing a new poster artwork. In June, the first teaser trailer premiered at that year's Tudum event.

The Chosen One streamed all six episodes worldwide on August 16, 2023.

Critical reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 86% approval rating with an average rating of 6.3/10 based on 7 reviews.