Crews shoot part of “The Chosen” in 2023. Half of the show’s seventh season will be shot in Utah. (Photo courtesy Utah Film Commission)
Utah once again has been chosen for “The Chosen.”
The series about the life of Jesus was among three productions approved for state tax credit incentives by the Utah Board of Tourism Development at the board’s most recent meeting. Also receiving incentives was “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” and an Olympics-related short series.
Together, the incentivized productions are expected to spend $11.3 million in Utah and employ over 175 people. The incentives total about $2 million.
“The Chosen” will shoot half of its seventh season in Utah and Juab counties this spring, with the other half being shot in Texas.
“We love filming in Utah and look forward to being in Utah for another season of ‘The Chosen,’” said Brad Pelo, president of “The Chosen.” “The people are wonderful, the landscape is stunning, and the locations we use work perfectly. We hope we get to be guests here frequently, as it’s a beautiful place to bring the story of Jesus to life.”
The show was approved for a tax credit incentive of up to $1.63 million, based on Utah spending of more than $8.1 million. It will employ 82 cast and crew and 400 extras.
Producers are Chad Gundersen, Chris Juen and Jamie Elliott. The director is Dallas Jenkins.
Virginia Pearce, director of the Utah Film Commission, told the tourism board that “The Chosen” has 280 million viewers. Streaming on Amazon and thechosen.tv app, it has been translated and dubbed in over 600 languages. “It’s a huge show,” Pearce said.
Pearce said the production last year spent $4.9 million in Utah, occupying 2,800 room-nights at hotels for 240 cast and crew. It also had 600 fan extras book their own hotel rooms.
“We love this team,” Pearce said. “They’re incredible to work with. The producers are great. They’ve developed a rapport with the county, and they really know how to do it when they come in. I love this project and I think it’s good for us.”
Another project that Pearce described as “a cultural zeitgeist” is “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” which airs on Bravo and Peacock. The seventh season will take place through November, with about 95 percent of the show being shot in Utah.
“Utah provides a stellar background for filming from both a creative and technical perspective,” said a representative from Forest Productions Inc. “The ‘Real Housewives’ production will showcase the spectacular locations that Utah has to offer, including mountain vistas, ski resorts and the surrounding towns, featuring a top-quality crew base and filming infrastructure.”
The show was approved for an incentive of up to $221,000, based on Utah spending of $2.2 million. It is expected to employ 47 cast and crew. Producers are Lisa Shannon, Lex Pascual and Daniel Crunkhorn.
Pearce cautioned that “Real Housewives” is not “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” even if the housewives sometimes are “ridiculous.”
“This one (‘Housewives’) is really more about these women that live here and own businesses,” she said, noting that it is the favorite reality show of many celebrities.
“They do show a ton of great locations in Salt Lake. They do a great job of showcasing the city,” she said, adding that it has helped bring other projects to Utah and they hire local people. “I think there’s other economic factors that I can get behind,” she said.
The tourism board also approved a tax credit incentive of up to $185,542 for the YouTube streaming show “Unwell Winter Games.” Podcaster Alex Cooper (“Call Her Daddy”) hosted the competition series between teams of celebrities, athletes and Internet personalities in Summit and Wasatch counties and which aired in February, during the most recent Olympic Winter Games.
“Filming in Park City allows us to leverage Utah’s iconic scenery as well as its production infrastructure, world-class hospitality and vibrant creative community,” said Producer Larissa Beck.
The production was expected to employ 46 cast and crew and five extras, with total spending in Utah expected to reach $927,710. Producers were Beck, Matt Kaplan, Chris Foss and Jordyn Rochwerg. The director was Jackie Robbins.