‘The Chosen’ cast heads into the wilderness with Bear Grylls in new series

Several cast members from the hit series “The Chosen” will be trading in the sets of Jerusalem for the wilderness of America as they leap from planes, scale cliffs, eat scorpions, and zip-line over canyons in “The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls.”

The new survival series is the latest project from 5&2 Studios — the production company behind “The Chosen.”

The show will include six episodes featuring actors Jonathan Roumie (who plays Jesus in “The Chosen”), Noah James (Andrew), Paras Patel (Matthew), Luke Dimyan (Judas Iscariot), Elizabeth Tabish (Mary Magdalene), and creator, writer, and director of “The Chosen,” Dallas Jenkins.

Each individual will join renowned adventurer and survivalist Bear Grylls — known for his series “Running Wild” on FOX — on an adventure in the wild where they will be pushed beyond their comfort zones while exploring what makes them who they are and share personal conversations about their lives and their faith.

Some of the places visited in the series include Utah’s Castle Valley and Canyonlands, the Great Basin Desert, the Colorado River, the Ausable River, and the Adirondack Forest.

The series premieres on Aug. 9 on Prime Video.

Grylls spoke to EWTN News in an interview and shared that he has always been a fan of “The Chosen,” with the series having a great impact on his own faith.

“I was one of those fans. I loved it,” he said. “But I kind of always felt that, unlike big movies or big TV shows normally where you sort of also know the characters as human beings, so few people actually knew much about the actors. Jonathan Roumie, for example, who plays Jesus, what has actually that journey been like for him?”

When speaking with Jenkins, the two thought it would be great to do a spinoff show “where we take some of these [actors], and we actually introduce you to what theyʼre like as human beings, what their journey has been like playing these characters, [and] how itʼs impacted their lives.”

He added: “I think what I wasnʼt ready for is just what a huge effect this TV show has had on all of their lives personally. And that was a really emotional sort of beautiful part of the whole ‘Chosen in the Wild’ series for me.”

Reflecting on the episodes featuring the cast members of “The Chosen,” Grylls shared that the episode with Roumie is the one that “in terms of an experience of an episode — out of all the ‘Running Wild’s’ and everything Iʼve done — I actually would rate that for me the one that will always stay in my heart.”

“Heʼs such a sort of icon of a guy, and his portrayal of Jesus is so powerful. Iʼm a man of faith, and at the start of every episode I do, I always say a prayer, like, ‘Jesus be with me,’” he recalled. “And on this one, it was about as close as youʼre going to get, you know. So, I kind of really wanted to honor that and do it well.”

He added that Roumie “was wonderful” and “incredibly honest,” talking about “things heʼd never spoken about before,” which was a “great privilege” for Grylls.

“I think out of all the roles an actor is going to play, that one is going to mess with your head and heart a lot, because you know at heart, youʼre not that guy. And he was really open about that. I think that conversation sat with him. There was a lot of emotion there,” he shared. “I mean, I donʼt want to kind of over-spiritualize it, but you could feel a presence there. And both of us said that afterwards, [we] said that was kind of weird, but good.”

When asked why the wild sparks so many deeper, more vulnerable conversations, Grylls said: “The wild opens people up. And as you know, you go into the outdoors, and you hike, and you face a few fears, and you cross a river or climb a cliff, you get to see the real people.”

He highlighted that each cast member who participated arrived “ready to be honest and to talk about their journey and how this show, ‘The Chosen,’ has impacted their lives.”

“I really value that honesty. And the wild is a great space — it gives it the space to breathe and to have those sorts of conversations on a level you never normally have,” he said.

Grylls said he hopes viewers will take away a strong “connection with the characters they love” after watching the series.

“This show is made specifically for those hundreds of millions of people around the world who love this TV show and are invested and care about the characters and just want to know more. And I think thereʼs no better way to get to know people than going on an adventure together,” he said. “Weʼve only done a few of these episodes — there are only six of them — [but] theyʼll always hold a really special place in my heart. And I canʼt wait for people to see it.”