James Delingpole James Delingpole

Bags of charm and a gripping plot: Netflix’s The Chosen One reviewed

This Mexican series about a kid suddenly realising he's the new Messiah will be a huge hit

What would it be like if you were just an ordinary US kid who suddenly began to realise that you were the new Messiah? [Carla Danieli/Netflix] 
issue 19 August 2023

Some years ago, Mark Millar (the creator of Kick-Ass, Kingsman, etc.) hit on yet another brilliant conceit for one of his comic-book stories: a three-part series based on the premise that Bible-believing Christians are right, that the Antichrist walks among us and that only the second coming will save us – eventually – from the horrors depicted in Revelation.

Since the late 1960s, screenwriters have tended to give the devil all the best tunes

‘I have nothing but happy memories of growing up as a Catholic, and I wanted to do a book about faith that was both intelligent and respectful,’ said Millar. ‘If we can do a thoughtful take on Batman surely we can do the same with Jesus?’ He named his trilogy American Jesus because it is – at least partly – about what it would be like if you were just an ordinary US kid who suddenly began to realise that you were the new Messiah.

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