Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ sequel is making a bold choice by reportedly not bringing back its original cast as expected. The long-delayed sequel to Gibson’s controversial 2004 hit has been frequently left in limbo over the last 20 years thanks in part to Gibson’s own personal controversies, including a DUI and several instances of homophobic and antisemitic remarks.
While it was expected that Jim Caviezel would be having a second coming as Jesus, Page Six reports that this will not be the case, as goes for Monica Bellucci, who played Mary Magdalene in the original movie. Instead, The Resurrection of the Christ is bringing in a new cast for the film, which is set to shoot soon in Rome. A source said:
“They’re [currently] meeting with actors [in Rome]. They’d [have had] to do a lot of work with the [original] actors… digital stuff, plus the scheduling. There was a lot of back and forth.”
While the original movie was massively controversial, it was also an unprecedented hit at the box office, making $610 million from its $30 million budget. Despite the sequel coming more than 20 years later, it is expected that it will be every bit as much the subject of heated debates, and that is exactly the kind of thing that could drive it to be Gibson’s biggest movie in years.
‘The Resurrection of the Christ’ Will Be Spread Over Two Movies
If one new Jesus Christ movie from Gibson could be box office gold, then why not make it two Jesus Christ movies instead? According to a press release from August, that is exactly what is about to happen. The Resurrection of the Christ Part One is officially slated for release on March 26, 2027, a religious holy day commemorating the death of Christ. Audiences won’t have to wait long for the second film, as Part Two is scheduled to be released 40 days later on “Ascension Day” on May 6, 2027. At the time of the release, filming was scheduled to begin that month, but seems to have been delayed, possibly due to the need to find new stars for the film.
There are obviously many questions about whether there is a need for one more movie about Jesus Christ from Gibson, let alone two of them. However, Lionsgate is clearly on board with the idea of the director being able to make two movies that will get audiences into cinemas. Of course, a lot has changed in the last two decades when it comes to the willingness of people to pay to watch movies in cinemas as opposed to waiting for them to land on a streaming platform they are already paying for. Will The Resurrection of the Christ be a movie that can fill cinemas and raise the spring 2026 box office in the process? It is hard to say, but the combination of a controversial director and a controversial movie is certainly going to get people talking.