| The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One | |
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| Directed by | Mel Gibson |
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| Distributed by | Lionsgate |
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| Country | United States |
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The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One is an upcoming American epic biblical drama film directed by Mel Gibson from a script he co-wrote with Randall Wallace, and based on the story he wrote with his brother Donal Gibson and Wallace. Gibson also serves as producer alongside Bruce Davey. [1] It is the sequel to the 2004 film The Passion of the Christ and stars Jaakko Ohtonen as Jesus of Nazareth and Mariela Garriga as Mary Magdalene.
The film will be followed by The Resurrection of the Christ: Part Two on May 6, 2027.
In June 2016, writer Randall Wallace stated that he and Mel Gibson had begun work on a sequel to The Passion of the Christ (2004) which will focus on the resurrection of Jesus and the events surrounding the resurrection. [2] In 2018, Jim Caviezel said that Gibson had sent him the third draft of the screenplay, announcing his intentions to reprise his role as Jesus Christ. [3] [4] In 2020, Caviezel said that it would be titled The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection and predicted "It's going to be the biggest film in world history". [5]
In July 2023, Gibson stated the sequel is "coming soon", and that he has two versions of the script that he is working on, saying "one of them is a very structured and very strong script and kind of more what one should expect and the other is like an acid trip". [6] In September 2024, while promoting Monster Summer (2024), Gibson addressed concerns on how he would make believable that three days have passed in-universe in the film given Caviezel's aging since 2004, assuring that he has ways to deal with that peculiar set of problems, thinking he has a solution for it. Kofi Outlaw of ComicBook.com speculated on if Gibson will make use of de-aging technology to solve the issue and acknowledged that in addition to Caviezel, other actors and their characters like Maia Morgenstern as Mary, Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene and Francesco De Vito as Saint Peter would either have to be de-aged or recast, the latter seeming like a necessity for John the Apostle, as Christo Jivkov died in 2023. [7] In January 2025, Gibson revealed that the title of the film was The Resurrection of the Christ. [8] In April 2025, Caviezel confirmed he will reprise his role as Jesus in the sequel and will be de-aged with the same modern technology employed in The Irishman (2019) because he needs to look three days older to how old he was in the original film, a preparation for which Caviezel insists he is asking Jesus to work through him. Gibson has teased the film as an "acid trip", as it explores Christ's time exploring Hell, dealing with fallen angels and the Harrowing of Hell. [9]
By October, after principal photography had began, however, it was reported that Caviezel and Bellucci had exited the film, with their roles being recast due to the age of the actors and scheduling conflicts. [10] [11] [12] Days later, it was announced that the entire cast of the original movie would be replaced due to the cost of using de-aging CGI special effects. Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen was cast as Jesus, replacing Caviezel; [13] [14] Mariela Garriga as Mary Magdalene, replacing Bellucci; [13] Kasia Smutniak as Mary (mother of Jesus), replacing Maia Morgenstern; [13] Pier Luigi Pasino as Peter, replacing Francesco De Vito; [13] and Riccardo Scamarcio as Pontius Pilate, replacing Hristo Naumov Shopov; [13] while Rupert Everett was cast in an undisclosed role. Ohtonen's casting in place of Caviezel sparked criticism in relation to what was seen as the further lightening of Jesus' skin color with the new actor; [15] [16] separately, Smutniak's support for the 2020-21 Strajk Kobiet protests against Poland's criminalization of almost all abortions meant that Polish conservatives criticized her being cast as the Virgin Mary and began a campaign calling on Gibson to find a different actress for the role. [17] [18] [19]
Principal photography began on October 6, 2025. The film will be shot entirely at Cinecittà Studios in Rome; and will be completed consequetively with its sequel. [20] [21] It was previously reported to begin in early 2025. [8] Production continued with the movie's new cast at Cinecittà Studios, while additional photography will take place in Matera, Ginosa, Gravina di Laterza, Altamura and Monte Sant' Angelo. [13]
In April 2025, the film was originally reported to be released "sometime" in 2026. [9] In May 2025, Lionsgate acquired distribution rights to the film. [22]
The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One is scheduled to be released in the United States on March 26, 2027. [23]
A sequel, titled The Resurrection of the Christ: Part Two is set to be theatrically released on May 6, 2027. [23]