What is happening with the sequel to ‘The Passion of the Christ’?

After over 20 years of rumours, promises and eyebrow-raising interviews, Mel Gibsons has The Passion of Christ: Resurrection production will reportedly begin this year. Yes, the sequel to the 2004 blockbuster is finally getting closer to reality – or so they say. Set to explore the three days between Jesus’ death and resurrection, this film is being hyped as a “cosmic”, “great theological experience” by Gibson himself. Translation: It will be heavy for the creative freedoms.

Jim Caviezel, reprising his role as Jesus, has already declared it “the greatest movie in the history of the world.” Bold words for a project that has been stuck in development purgatory for nearly two decades. But with rumors of it being released this year – which is almost certainly untrue – along with whispers of filming in Malta and hints of a script that ventures deep into heaven, hell and all things supernatural, it seems that Resurrection is on many people’s minds.

Let’s take a look back through the rumors to see what we know for sure about the upcoming sequel.

In 2016, Gibson told USA today that he was trying to find a way to make a movie about the resurrection interesting, which apparently would involve more than three days of everyone waiting for Jesus to reappear. “The resurrection. Big subject. Oh, my God,” he said. “We’re trying to do this in a way that’s cinematically compelling and enlightening, so that it shines new light if possible without creating some weird stuff.”

So in 2018, Gibson sat down with author and Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo, where he talked openly about the idea of ​​a cosmic sequel to The passionwhich would focus far more on the supernatural events that take place in realms beyond our own in the time between Jesus’ bodily death and resurrection. “It’s a tall order,” admits Gibson. “It’s a huge theological experience … it’s going to be pretty wild. It’s an acid trip.”

“How close are you?” asks Arroyo, referring to the alleged existence of the same script mentioned by Caviezel, which he believes Gibson is writing with his Braveheart collaborator Randall Wallace.

“It’s the infinite … it keeps revealing itself more and more the further you get into it,” replies Gibson. “Everything from the fall of the angels to, you know, it’s just crazy. It opens up all those channels.”

Around the same time, Gibson appeared The Late Show with Stephen Colbertwhere Colbert asked him about the movie. In that conversation, Gibson was also non-committal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a65DHobPw0

“It’s probably about three years away,” he said. “Because it’s a big topic.”

Colbert pushes a little further, and Gibson again vaguely refers to the cosmic events in heaven and hell after the death of Christ. Many parts of Christian tradition hold that after his crucifixion, Jesus descended into hell for a showdown with the devil, which may be the subject of Gibson’s expansive (and expensive) vision.

“So you actually wanted to make a little Inferno?” Colbert asks, referencing Dante’s poem on the subject, and it’s here that we get our first real account of the state of the script’s development at the time.

“I’m not sure,” Gibson replies. “But it’s worth thinking about, isn’t it?”

So from all this we can glean a few clues. As of 2016, Gibson was approached about a script for one Passion sequel, and while he was happy to publicly brainstorm the scope, things sound emphatically loose. Everything was quiet The Passion 2 front for two years until USA today interviewed Caviezel in 2018, who promised box office history.

“I’m not going to tell you how (Gibson) is going to do it,” Caviezel said. “But I will tell you this much: The movie he’s going to make is going to be the biggest movie in history. It’s that good.”

At that time, Caviezel played the apostle Luke Paul, Apostle of Christwhich possibly creates a bit of confusion in the New Testament cinematic universe. That all sounds pretty good, but another telling detail emerges during this interview. Caviezel said USA today that Gibson had “cracked” the story and even revealed that they had set a tentative date to begin shooting the film. But when USA today asked Caviezel to tell them what that date is, he declined.

Fast forward to 2020and Caviezel was back at it, claiming he had just received the “fifth draft” of the script. (Or was it the third? Depends on which interview you believe.) He also called it “a masterpiece” and “the greatest movie in the history of the world,” which seems to be his go-to line at this point.

Meanwhile, Gibson’s longtime collaborator Randall Wallace confirmed that they had discussed the project – a lot. Wallace described the resurrection as “the Mount Everest of the movies,” but offered no concrete details. At this point, the script seemed to exist in a Schrödinger’s cat state: both finished and unfinished, depending on who you asked.

After years of silence, World of Reel reported that the sequel would focus on the 24 hours after Jesus’ death and explore the three days between the crucifixion and resurrection. This means that much of the film will be Gibson’s interpretation of spiritual events beyond the biblical narrative.

Then, in September 2024, it was reported that Gibson was scouting filming locations in Malta for the project, now tentatively titled The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection – Part I.

Caviezel also resurfaced with new claims, calling the sequel “the greatest movie in the history of the world.” Despite his enthusiasm, he offered no timeline for release, joking: “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

Which brings us to today. According to the latest updates, admissions to Passion of Christ: Resurrection expected to begin this year. Yet the project is still shrouded in mystery. While Gibson’s vision promises to be bold and ambitious, its foundation seems to lean heavily on creative liberties, drawing some skepticism from fans and scholars alike. Until we see it, the long-awaited sequel remains one of Hollywood’s greatest theological mysteries.