The creator of The Chosen has responded to the uproar over a controversial tableau at the Olympics opening ceremony by posting a first look at his staging of The Last Supper in the show’s upcoming fifth season.
Dallas Jenkins took to Instagram and wrote, “Is this better than the Olympics imagery?” and posted an image of the show’s core cast gathered around a table, with Jesus actor Jonathan Roumie in the center. The show’s fans responded enthusiastically to the post.
The Biblical drama is currently filming its fifth season, with the long-awaited fourth season recently added to Prime Video.
The 2024 Paris Olympics four-hour opening ceremony on July 24 launched the Summer Games and at one point featured a tableau of drag queens and dancers lined along a table. The feature resulted in controversy as some interpreted the scene as mocking Christianity by seemingly re-staging Leonardo da Vinci’s masterwork The Last Supper, which portrayed Jesus and his apostles. The ceremony’s artistic director said later that the scene was not inspired by the painting.
The Games’ spokesperson Anne Decamps made a statement, saying, “Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, I think that [artistic director] Thomas Jolly really tried to celebrate community tolerance. We believe that this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense, we are really sorry.”
