Smash-hit drama 'The Chosen' highlights life and ministry of Jesus

"The Chosen" is a smash-hit streaming series looking at the life and ministry of Jesus through the eyes of those closest to him. 

So far, the first two series have received 400M views, with the third set to hit the big screen this weekend. 

"You don’t have to necessarily believed Jesus was the son of God and the Messiah to find the stories of Jesus fascinating and compelling and to find that time of first century Galilee to be worth watching," series creator Dallas Jenkins told FOX 5 NY. 

What’s unique about The Chosen is that it's one of the most successful crowd-funded media projects ever, raising millions of dollars. Millions of fans around the world can contribute money to help create the series. 

"I was coming off a career failure, and it’s a Jesus show. It’s not necessarily an easy sell. Well, we ended up generating over 10 million dollars from over 19,000 people around the world so that allowed us to do season one," Jenkins said.

Fans can watch "The Chosen" for free on the Angel Studios website for via the app. Donations are optional. 

Cast and crew film in Texas and Utah on elaborate sets designed to look like ancient times.

Jonathan Roumie plays Jesus, while actress Lara Silva plays "Eden," the wife of Simon Peter. 

The new season of The Chosen is now playing at a theater in Times Square, with the first two episodes of season three playing at theaters across the country. The rest of season three will be available online next month.