“The Passion of the Christ 2″: what is known about the ambitious sequel that Mel Gibson is preparing?

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Trailer for “The Passion of the Christ”, the version produced and directed by Mel Gibson in 2004.

Two decades ago, Mel Gibson released the shocking film The Passion of the Christ; an independent project in which he invested 45 million of his own pocket after his idea was rejected by the major studios. The film starring Jim Caviezel is now one of the most sought-after titles during Holy Week, and still sparks controversies for its extreme realism approach to the religious character’s via crucis.

With the success of the film proposal, it is not surprising that Gibson harbors intentions to expand the story. Since 2004, the filmmaker and actor has mentioned on several occasions that he would like to prepare a sequel that has a resurrected Jesus as its center.

In 2016, the Mad Max star reunited with Stephen Colbert, and on the show he confirmed that he was developing the project that has been temporarily titled The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection.

Mel Gibson has been preparing a sequel to “The Passion of the Christ” for several years. (Icon Productions)

As he said in that conversation, he wants to address the story because of everything that surrounds the return to the life of Jesus. That is, what happened before he came out of the grave; and then during the reunion with his disciples.

Working alongside Gibson would be screenwriter Randall Wallace, nominated for an Oscar for writing the script for Braveheart. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Wallace found it difficult to keep the secret of his participation in the project.

In recent years, updates on The Passion of the Christ 2 have been few but significant. In July 2023, statements from Gibson circulated regarding two preliminary scripts he had been evaluating.

Gibson poses a philosophical perspective for the second film, including a possible passage through hell. (Credits: EPA/Claudio Onorati)

“One of them is very structured and very strong. It’s more or less what you should expect. The other is like a psychedelic trip,” she expressed at an event. “Because you go to another dimension and stuff. I mean you’re in hell and you’re watching angels fall. “It’s like crazy.”

Gibson’s words, recovered by Euronews, also confirmed that Jim Caviezel will reprise his character. The director indicated that he is not worried about the actor’s aging because it can be fixed with other methods.

Caviezel, who returned to the big screen in the 2023 film Sound of Freedom, had also mentioned that he read drafts of Resurrection. “Mel sent me the document. The film will be impressive and transcendental in the history of cinema,” he said in a Sirius XM podcast.

Jim Caviezel was 33 years old when he played Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ.” He is confirmed to reprise his character in an upcoming film. (Credits: Philippe Antonello/Icon Distribution)

In another interview with Truth Social, the now 55-year-old actor hinted that the project was so broad that “two films” could be released. “Mel showed me several scenes and I was on the floor crying,” he explained.

But although Jim emphasized that the magnitude of the film is great and hopes to be “one of the best works that the public has ever seen,” he refrained from commenting on any possible release or production date. “I can’t say,” he said, laughing.

Although it is underway, the pace of pre-production remains slow. There are still no official reports about the casting of more characters or about the filming of the film.

In 2004, The Passion of the Christ grossed more than $612 million globally and became the fifth highest-grossing film of the year, internationally. It is the most commercially successful independent film of all time, considering its production budget was $30 million. It is now available streaming on the Star+ platform.