Filming has begun on Mel Gibson’s long-awaited sequel to “The Passion of the Christ,” titled “The Resurrection of the Christ,” with Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen taking up the role of Jesus from Jim Caviezel.
According to Variety, production began last week at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios, where Gibson also shot the 2004 original, which grossed $610 million worldwide and have become one among the highest-earning independent movies in history.
The latest project, produced by Gibson and Bruce Davey under their Icon Productions banner with Lionsgate as studio partner, might be released in two parts in 2027.
Cuban actress Mariela Garriga (“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning”) will portray Mary Magdalene, replacing Monica Bellucci. Kasia Smutniak (“Domina”) will play Mary, previously portrayed by Maia Morgenstern. Peter might be portrayed by Italian actor Pier Luigi Pasino (“The Law According to Lidia Poët”), and Riccardo Scamarcio (“Modì”) will tackle the role of Pontius Pilate. Rupert Everett will appear in a “small but necessary role,” in accordance with producers.
Because the sequel takes place three days after Christ’s crucifixion, the production opted for a wholly latest solid.
“It made sense to recast the entire film,” a source near the production told Variety. “They would have needed to do all this CGI stuff — de-aging and all that — that may have been very costly.”
In April, Caviezel said on the “Arroyo Grande” podcast that he was able to reprise his role and revealed he was turning to C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters for spiritual preparation.
Ohtonen, 36, is best known for his portrayal of the warrior Wolland in season five of Netflix’s historical drama “The Last Kingdom.”
Gibson co-wrote the brand new film with “Braveheart” screenwriter Randall Wallace and described the sequels as “an acid trip,” adding that he had “never read anything like” the scripts. While plot details remain under wraps, the story will concentrate on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
“The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One” is slated to open on Good Friday, March 26, 2027, followed by “Part Two” on Ascension Day, May 6, 2027. In addition to Cinecittà’s latest Studio 22, filming will happen in the traditional southern Italian city of Matera and other nearby locations, including Ginosa, Gravina, Laterza and Altamura.
The original “Passion of the Christ,” filmed in Aramaic, Hebrew and Latin, depicted the ultimate 12 hours of Jesus’ life and have become a landmark in faith-based cinema. The sequel goals to select up where that story left off on the dawn of the resurrection.
In a 2022 interview with CP, Gibson revealed he’s drawn to stories that highlight redemption and the necessity for a Savior.
“I’ve been taught from a young age that we’re flawed, and also you’re going to make mistakes,” he reflected. “We’re broken, and we want help. Usually, the very best solution to get assistance is to ask for it. And well, who can we ask? We’re asking something higher than us. And the minute you acknowledge that there’s something higher than you, you would possibly get something that resembles humility, which is de facto the important thing to the entire thing.”
He encouraged the subsequent generation to “stick” to their “convictions” regardless that it’s “hard” in an increasingly polarized society.
“Sometimes you are presented with selections or put in places which are very difficult, and a few of those selections are hard,” he said. “You just need to examine your individual conscience and take the fitting road, I believe. … There’s no right way; there are one million improper ways, and you only need to eliminate those or simply use your best discernment to get through it.”
“But it’s hard, man,” he added. “Life’s hard. But we’re all going. We’ve all got a boulder we’re dragging.”
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