After nearly a decade of rumors, rewrites and “it’s definitely happening” updates, Mel Gibson’s long-teased Passion of the Christ sequel is actually headed to production.
According to Variety, The Resurrection of the Christ will begin filming this August at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios — the same lot where the original 2004 film was shot. Production will also take place in the ancient southern Italian town of Matera, along with several other old-world locations.
Jim Caviezel is returning as Jesus (de-aged, of course, because he’s 56), along with Maia Morgenstern (Mary) and Francesco De Vito (Peter), per IMDb. Gibson is back in the director’s chair and co-wrote the script with Braveheart writer Randall Wallace. But if you thought a resurrection story would be pretty straightforward, think again.
Gibson has said the film is “not a linear narrative,” describing it as “an acid trip” in a recent Joe Rogan interview — which, sure, is one way to talk about the most important event in Christian theology. The story will reportedly span past, future and “other realms,” including a trip to hell and possibly some angel drama. Consider us intrigued.
For context, the original Passion of the Christ shocked Hollywood when it pulled in $612 million worldwide and became the highest-grossing independent film of all time. Before The Chosen was getting theatrical releases, Gibson’s film was the church event movie, with congregations renting out entire theaters.
Will The Resurrection have the same impact 20 years later? Who knows. But if Gibson’s vision stays on track, expect a wild, theologically questionable sequel in theaters sometime in 2026.
