Taye Diggs Joins Fox's 'The Chosen: The Three Kings' Christmas Special

Taye Diggs will play Balthasar in Fox's "The Chosen: The Three Kings," premiering Monday, Dec. 14 at 8 p.m. ET, Variety has exclusively learned. The special streams on Hulu the following day.

Diggs joins Piter Marek as Melchior and Rahul Rai as Gaspar. The three actors play the Magi at the center of the biblical story. Series creator Dallas Jenkins serves as executive producer alongside Ryan Swanson and Taylor Thompson.

The broadcast carries weight beyond casting. "The Chosen: The Three Kings" is the third film in "The Chosen" Christmas trilogy and the first to premiere on a broadcast network. Its predecessors took different routes: "The Shepherd" premiered on Facebook in 2017 and doubled as the series pilot, while "The Messengers" opened in movie theaters in 2021.

Fox's official logline describes the stakes: "An impossible bright light over the tiny town of Bethlehem astonishes even distant lands. But for three kings, it fulfills a prophecy signaling the birth of a new ruler. Terrified of regime change or even death, they set out on a high-stakes journey to pay tribute to the newborn king. But when they arrive, their shocking discovery changes their lives and the entire world, forever."

The network frames the special as a closing chapter.

"In this final chapter in The Chosen's Christmas trilogy, 'The Chosen: The Three Kings' tells the story of Jesus' arrival through the eyes of those who traveled the farthest to find Him," Fox said. "'The Chosen: The Three Kings' brings their extraordinary journey to the forefront, offering a deeply human perspective on one of the Bible's most enduring stories."

Who are the three kings on screen?

All three leads bring stage and screen credentials.

• Taye Diggs: "All American," "Private Practice," "How Stella Got Her Groove Back," "The Best Man"; Broadway credits include "Chicago," "Moulin Rouge," "Wicked" and "Hedwig and the Angry Inch."
• Piter Marek: "The Blacklist," "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," "Girls5eva," "Chicago Fire," "Blue Bloods"; Broadway: "Cyrano de Bergerac," "Disgraced," "Punch."
• Rahul Rai: "Ballard," "Barry," "A Man on the Inside," "The Upshaws"; films include "When Harry Tries to Marry," "The Distance Between Us" and "Greytown Girl."

What does this change for 'The Chosen' franchise?

The Fox premiere extends a distribution strategy that has moved the series steadily outward from its crowdfunding roots. 5&2 Studios produces "The Chosen," and the regular series moved last year to Prime Video under a multi-faceted deal between Jenkins, 5&2 and Amazon MGM Studios. That deal covers exclusive U.S. streaming rights and theatrical releases of new installments. Season 6 premieres Nov. 15 on Prime Video.

The franchise now spans several series at Prime Video, including "The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls," "Joseph of Egypt" and "The Chosen Adventures."

A broadcast network slot on Dec. 14 places the Magi story before the largest free-television audience the franchise has yet reached, one month after Season 6 arrives on streaming.