The long-awaited sequel to Mel Gibson's 2004 biblical drama The Passion of the Christ is set to begin filming in August.
The sequel, titled The Resurrection of the Christ, will bring back actor Jim Caviezel as the titular Jesus of Nazareth when production begins at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios' sprawling new Studio 22 facility, according to CEO Manuela Cacciamani.
Caviezel will allegedly be reunited with Maia Morgenstern, who played Jesus’ mother in the first film, and Francesco De Vito, who will reprise the role of Peter.
The Passion of the Christ centered on the final twelve hours leading to Jesus Christ's death, known as "the Passion," and it ended with His death and burial. Three days later, Christ rises from the dead and exits the tomb, a not-so-subtle nod to his resurrection.
The sequel is reportedly set to focus on events occurring during the three days between Jesus's crucifixion and His resurrection, which is essentially the final moments of the first film.
People questioned the logic behind greenlighting a sequel to the greatest story ever told.
@ChristiansSTDT/X
The jokes wrote themselves.
The Passion of the Christ was met with mixed reviews when it debuted in theaters.
While some praised the film for its high production quality and strong performances, others found it to be antisemitic and gratuitously graphic.
Nevertheless, it became the highest-grossing independent film of all time, as well as the highest-grossing R-rated film domestically, at $370.8 million, until Deadpool & Wolverine broke its 20-year streak in 2024.
In a 2022 interview with the National Catholic Register, Gibson explained that Resurrection would not be “a linear narrative.”
Gibson, who was named a “special ambassador” by Republican President Donald Trump to help bring back "lost business" to "troubled Hollywood," continued:
“You have to juxtapose the central event that I’m trying to tell with everything else around it in the future, in the past and in other realms, and that’s kind of getting a little sci-fi out there.”
He added:
“I think in order to really tell the story properly you have to really start with the fall of the angels, which means you’re in another place, you’re in another realm. You need to go to hell.”
In a January 2018 interview, Caviezel said of the sequel:
“I’ll tell you this much, the film he’s going to do is going to be the biggest film in history. It’s that good.”
The 56-year-old added:
“There are things that I cannot say that will shock the audience."
The passion is real, guys.
