The Resurrection of the Christ: Mel Gibson returns as director of long-awaited 'The Passion of the Christ' sequel

Over twenty years have passed since the release of The Passion of the Christ, which captivated audiences with its powerful depiction of the final hours of Jesus. Director Mel Gibson has officially revealed the title of the long-awaited sequel — The Resurrection of the Christ — through the social media handles of Lionsgate, the studio backing the film.

In an interview with Joe Rogan on his podcast in January, Mel Gibson described the film as an “acid trip” and stated, “It took a long time to write. It's really ambitious and it goes from the fall of the angels to the death of the last apostle”. The screenplay, which took over several years to complete, was co-written by Gibson, his brother Donal Gibson and Randall Wallace (Braveheart).

Jim Caviezel, who received worldwide recognition for his performance as Jesus, will return to the sequel, and Gibson has revealed that the changes in Caviezel's youthful appearance in the twenty years that followed will be taken care of with de-ageing technology in order to maintain visual consistency.

As per reports, filming is set to commence in 2026, in the Italian town of Matera and several other locations, including Ginosa, Gravina, Laterza and Altamura. Rome's Cinecittà Studios, where the original was shot, is also part of the schedule.

For the unversed, The Passion of Christ was the highest-grossing R-rated film in the US for 20 years until Deadpool & Wolverine took its place.