Dallas Jenkins’ secret crucifixion film is already making The Chosen fans cry

The Chosen fans have unearthed an emotional short film directed by Dallas Jenkins: Two Thieves, revolving around the two men crucified with Jesus – and it stars Jonathan Roumie.

The Chosen Season 5 will air in April 2025, chronicling the events of Holy Week in the lead-up to the Passion. The sixth season will focus solely on Jesus’ crucifixion, taking place over one grueling day.

We’ve still got some time to prepare ourselves for the trauma of those episodes. However, if you want to normalize seeing Roumie’s Jesus on the cross, Jenkins made a short film in 2014 about Demas (Stelio Savante) and Benyamin (Christopher Maleki), two Jewish thieves who have a fateful encounter with the son of God.

You can watch the entire 27-minute film on YouTube for free right now – just press play below:

Jenkins directed The Two Thieves through Vertical Church Films, a studio dedicated to producing Christian films and entertainment, including 2017’s The Resurrection of Gavin Stone and The Shepherd, the defacto pilot of The Chosen.

It follows Demas and Benyamin after their arrest, shifting between the days and moments before their crucifixion and the moment they’re nailed to the cross as they discuss, reject, and accept their fate. It also features Barrabas (Richard Cotovsky), another prisoner who’s freed to make room for Jesus’ execution.

Fun fact: this was the first time Jenkins worked with Roumie, leading to his casting as Jesus in The Chosen.

It has amassed hundreds of thousands of views, but some fans have just discovered it for the first time.

“Closest thing we currently have to imagine how Season 6 will look like,” one user commented, while another called it a “beautiful short film… the beginning of a beautiful friendship and a beautiful journey.”

“Knowing that this scene will eventually come in The Chosen is going to be tough to watch,” another commented. “So heartbreaking but I can’t help but believe Jonathan was born to play this role. Seems his portrayal is divinely guided,” a fourth wrote.

Before Season 5, find out why The Chosen fans should watch Netflix’s Mary this Christmas, and check out the show’s filming locations and our cast and character guide.