Filming has officially wrapped on The Resurrection of the Christ, meaning Mel Gibson’s long-awaited follow-up to The Passion of the Christ is finally real and no longer just a decades-long rumor.
Production recently concluded in Italy, according to videos circulating online from the set. The sequel has been in development for years, with Gibson repeatedly teasing an ambitious script that reportedly goes far beyond a straightforward resurrection story.
The project is being split into two films: The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One arrives March 26, 2027 — Good Friday — with Part Two following on May 6, 2027, which lands on Ascension Day.
Unlike the original 2004 film, this version features an entirely new cast. Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen will play Jesus, replacing Jim Caviezel, who portrayed Christ in the original. The cast also includes Mariela Garriga as Mary Magdalene, Pier Luigi Pasino as Peter, Kasia Smutniak as Mary, Riccardo Scamarcio as Pontius Pilate and Rupert Everett in a supporting role.
The recasting wasn’t just creative preference. Since the sequel picks up only days after the crucifixion, producers reportedly decided against using expensive de-aging CGI technology on the original cast.
Filming took place at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios, the same studio used for The Passion of the Christ, along with locations throughout southern Italy, including Matera.
Gibson co-wrote the screenplay with Randall Wallace, the writer behind Braveheart, and he’s hinted for years that this sequel won’t look anything like a traditional biblical drama. In past interviews, Gibson described the script as “an acid trip,” saying the story explores theological territory involving Hell, Sheol, fallen angels and the origin of Satan.
Suffice to say, this is not the Bible story you’ve heard before.
The original The Passion of the Christ grossed more than $610 million worldwide and became one of the highest-grossing independent films ever made, while also permanently altering the modern Christian movie industry. Nearly 25 years later, Gibson is betting audiences are ready to return to that world — only this time with a much stranger, more cosmic version of the resurrection story.
