DALLAS — North Texas certainly has its fair share of fan conventions already, but a newcomer to this crowded party will be entering the fray just the same this weekend. And it's a bit of a different animal than its peers in the convention landscape.
Taking place at the Hilton Anatole on Oct. 14 and 15, ChosenCon is a celebration of all things related to the crowdfunded TV success story The Chosen, which chronicles the life and times of Jesus Christ and his disciples.
Now entering its fourth of seven planned seasons, the show claims to have amassed more than 600 million combined episode views across streaming platforms Amazon Prime, Netflix and Peacock, as well as its weekly broadcast on The CW. The show has also been dubbed in more than 50 languages, helping contribute to its international groundswell of support.
Hosted by the show's creator Dallas Jenkins, this weekend's ChosenCon affair -- its formal name is the Chosen Insiders Conference 2023 -- will celebrate the show's success by hosting some 3,500 attendees to its in-person festivities, along with many more virtual attendees logging on to take in its offerings from around the world.
While physical tickets have long since sold out, virtual passes are still on sale for $45 and will allow purchasers to watch along during panel discussions, audience Q&As and on-stage game shows featuring The Chosen's cast and crew.
In-person attendees of the first-ever ChosenCon will also get access to meet-and-greets with Jenkins and cast members including the show's lead, Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus. Other Christian influencers slated to appear at the event include Christian singer-songwriter Matt Maher, who will perform at the convention, and Jenkins’ father and apocalyptic fiction franchise 'Left Behind' co-author Jerry B. Jenkins, who will host a book-signing session.
Both in-person and virtual attendees will also be given 48-hour access to special sneak peeks at new content from the upcoming fourth season of the show.
It should be noted that ChosenCon is not the show's first trek to North Texas. In 2022, an estimated 12,000 fans of the show traveled to the Ellis County city of Midlothian to serve as extras in a scene the production filmed there.