The Passion Sequel

[Kayleigh Telega]

ThePassion of the Christ: Resurrection is an upcoming American epic biblical drama film co-produced and directed by Mel Gibson, who wrote the script alongside Randall Wallace. Starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus, the film is a sequel to The Passion of the Christ (2004), focusing on the three days between Jesus' death and resurrection. Alongside Caviezel, Maia Morgenstern and Francesco De Vito will reprise their roles as Mary and Peter the Apostle, respectively.[1]

Being a sequel to The Passion of the Christ (2004), the film will focus on the events that transpired during the three days between the crucifixion and resurrection when Jesus descended to Abraham's Bosom, where he preached and resurrected Old Testament saints. Gibson has stated in separate interviews that the fall of the Angels and the Harrowing of Hell would also be key parts of the film.[2][3][4][5]

According to Edward Pentin from the National Catholic Register, the film will "cover step-by-step the events leading up to the Resurrection as experienced by the Apostles, but will also follow the intrigues that took place in Herod's palace and end with the events that took place in Jerusalem on Resurrection Sunday".[7] Furthermore, Resurrection will be a nonlinear, introspective film, where "other realms" and "dimensions" would be explored.[8]

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.[9] Wallace previously worked with Gibson as the screenwriter for Braveheart (1995), director of We Were Soldiers (2002), and as an uncredited screenwriter for Hacksaw Ridge (2016).[9][10] In September of that year, Gibson expressed his interest in directing it. He estimated that release of the film was still "probably three years off", stating that "it is a big project".[11]

In January 2018, Jim Caviezel was in negotiations with Gibson to reprise his role as Jesus Christ in the sequel.[12] In March 2020, Caviezel stated in an interview that the film was in its fifth draft.[13] Later that year, Caviezel said that Gibson had sent him the third draft of the screenplay.[7][14] Caviezel stated that "the film will shock audiences" and predicted that "it will be the biggest film the world has ever seen."[15][16]

In January 2023, a report stated that the film would begin production in mid-2023, around spring, with Jim Caviezel set to return in the role of Jesus.[17][18][19][20][1] Christo Jivkov was reported to reprise his role as John the disciple,[17] before dying in March 2023 from cancer.[21]

The film will be produced independently and shot in Italy at Cinecitt Studios in Rome, and on location in the city of Matera and the ghost town of Craco, both in the Basilicata region. Parts of the film will also be shot in Mexico.[22]

The 2004 religious film, starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus Christ in the final 12 hours of his life, was a commercial success and also scored three Oscar nominations. However, it proved divisive with critics, received criticism from religious scholars and was also accused of antisemitism from various sectors.

A sequel has been rumored to be in the works since June 2016 when writer Randall Wallace told the Hollywood Reporter that he and Gibson were working on a script. In 2018, Caviezel told Breitbart that he'd seen the draft for The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection, and believed it would be "the biggest film in world history."

Speaking to Outstanding Screenplays in April, Gibson said The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection was coming soon. "You can't do it lightly and quickly. You have to really consider what it is that you need to show in order to be poignant," he said.

Gibson continued: "It can't be linear. You have to have many things to juxtapose against one another, even from different time periods, in order to illustrate what something means in a more full way. And I think it's going to be a real jigsaw puzzle to do."

"I have two scripts, and one of them is very structured and a very strong script, and kind of more what you'd expect, and the other is like an acid trip. Because you're going into other realms and stuff. I mean, you're in hell, and you're watching the angels fall. It's like, crazy," Gibson told Outstanding Screenplays.

"I asked him [Mel Gibson] would you be ready to go in January? He said 'yeah, maybe.' I said 'how about the end of Fall?' He said 'Yeah, maybe.' So who knows... He's been on this for a long, long time.

At the time, the Jewish international non-governmental organization the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) spoke out against Gibson's movie. "For filmmakers to do justice to the biblical accounts of the passion, they must complement their artistic vision with sound scholarship, which includes knowledge of how the passion accounts have been used historically to disparage and attack Jews and Judaism," the ADL said ahead of the movie's release in 2004.

After obtaining an advanced copy of the script, a joint statement from the ADL and the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops called it "one of the most troublesome texts, relative to anti-Semitic potential, that any of us had seen in 25 years."

Jamie Burton is a Newsweek Senior TV and Film Reporter (Interviews) based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the latest in the world of entertainment and showbiz via interviews with celebrities and industry talent. Jamie has covered general news, world politics, finance and sports for the likes of the BBC, the Press Association and various commercial radio stations in the U.K. Jamie joined Newsweek in 2021 from the London-based Broadcast News Agency Entertainment News (7Digital) where he was the Film and TV Editor for four years. Jamie is an NCTJ-accredited journalist and graduated from Teesside University and the University of South Carolina. Languages: English.

The Passion of the Christ 2 is confirmed and it is due to begin filming in spring 2023. Star Jim Caviezel confirmed the script had been completed in September 2020, and claimed it would be "the biggest film in world history." Gibson has worked with Randall Wallace on the script, with Wallace acknowledging interest in the sequel. "I always wanted to tell this story," Wallace confirmed back in 2016. "The Passion is the beginning and there's a lot more story to tell... The evangelical community considers The Passion the biggest movie ever out of Hollywood, and they kept telling us that they think a sequel will be even bigger."

One of the biggest pieces of news to come out of the Passion of the Christ 2 camp is that Jim Caviezel is expected to return as Jesus. The first film was one of his highest-profile movies, and he's subsequently gone on to appear in a wide range of films and TV shows, including the likes of Outlander, The Prisoner, and Person of Interest. He also returned to the world of biblical epics for Paul, Apostle of Christ, where he played the apostle Luke alongside James Faulkner's Paul. He's clearly been kept in the loop on discussions about The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection, openly speaking about the script as far back as 2020.

A surprising amount of cast members from the 20-year-old film are returning to continue the Bible's epic story alongside Caviezel as Jesus. Reportedly, Maia Morgenstern (The Seventh Room) is coming back to reprise her integral role as Mary, Jesus' mother. Actor Francesco De Vito (The Man From U.N.C.L.E.) will once again appear as Peter, one of the most well-known of Jesus' apostles. Finally, Christo Jikov (In Memory of Me) is rumored to be reprising the role of John, whose gospel Passion of the Christ was based upon. It is unknown if Monica Belluci or Rosalinda Celentano will return as Magdalene and Satan, respectively.

The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection appears to be a logical approach since Christians believe Jesus died and rose from the dead, and The Passion of the Christ ended with the briefest glimpse of the resurrected Jesus. Over the years, however, there have been consistent reports the resurrection itself will not be the main focus; rather, that the film will focus on the three days between Jesus' death and resurrection, where many Christians believe Jesus descended into Hell. Many of The Passion of the Christ's scenes weren't in the Bible, and the sequel could continue that trend.

Some scenes were drawn from Catholic visionaries such as Mary of Jesus of greda (1602-1665) and Anne Catherine Emmerich. The latter is particularly important, in that she had a vision of the event known by Catholic theologians as the "Harrowing of Hell," in which Jesus descended into Hell and tore down its walls, declaring war on the Devil and his kingdom. It's important to note such events are only alluded to in a few verses in the Bible, meaning this particular idea has generated debate among Christians. If Gibson does focus on the Harrowing of Hell, he may well find it much more difficult to unite evangelicals behind him this time.

USA Today spoke with the once (and future) Jesus Christ, actor Jim Caviezel, who gave an update on Mel Gibson's long-gestating Passion of the Christ sequel. Here's what the man had to say:

Gibson has been talking about making a Passion sequel for ages now but it seems like things are ratcheting up and moving forward. The film will follow the story of Jesus's resurrection, of course. Even though it's been 14 years since the original, it'll only take place three days later. But, hey, Caviezel has aged pretty well so that's not too far-fetched.

It has been awhile since the original and I think many of us have forgotten just how big a smash hit Passion was. The thing was an absolute behemoth that dominated the box office for literally months. To many devout Christians, the film was deeply moving and indeed life-changing. People praised it for its realistic telling of Christ's demise and the inspiring life he led. To many non-believers, the movie was gory torture porn that lacked a soul. Like all things related to Jesus, people were divided.

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