Mel Gibson has revealed the first official look at The Resurrection of the Christ, a sequel to his 2004 film The Passion of the Christ, signaling that the long discussed project is now moving forward.
The image (above) shows Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen portraying Jesus as he leads a crowd up a hill. The still marks the first public glimpse of a production that has been in development for years and is expected to draw strong global attention.
The sequel features a full recast of the original film’s lead roles. Ohtonen replaces Jim Caviezel as Jesus, while Cuban actress Mariela Garriga takes over the role of Mary Magdalene from Monica Bellucci. A source close to the production said Gibson weighed using digital de-aging to keep the original cast but rejected the idea due to cost and complexity.
“They would have had to do all this CGI stuff, all this digital stuff, de aging and all that, that would have been very costly,” the source said.
The film will be released in two parts. The first installment is now set for May 6, 2027, after moving from an earlier March release date. The second part is scheduled for May 25, 2028. The split release signals a large scale production effort and a long term rollout strategy aimed at sustaining audience interest.
Speaking with Variety, Gibson framed the project as deeply personal and central to his career. “I’m deeply grateful to my incredibly talented cast and crew for pouring their hearts into this production. Together, we created something powerful,” he said. “This film represents a major part of my life’s work, and it has demanded everything of me as a filmmaker and as an artist. This is far more than a film to me. It’s a mission I’ve carried for over 20 years to tell what I believe is the most important story in human history.”
Adam Fogelson, chair of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, backed the project and its director in strong terms. “Mel is a true visionary with an artist’s eye for scale and a storyteller’s instinct for emotional truth,” Fogelson said. “Every image we’ve seen from set feels like a masterwork painting brought to life. There are very few directors who can operate at this level of epic spectacle while at the same time delivering such depth and conviction. Mel has crafted a film of extraordinary ambition that audiences worldwide have been waiting to experience for over 20 years.”
The sequel arrives at a time when studios are leaning on established properties to draw audiences back to theaters. With faith based films continuing to show strong returns in certain markets, industry watchers are sure to be looking closely at whether The Resurrection of the Christ can match or possibly even exceed the cultural and financial impact of its ground-breaking predecessor.
***
English (US) · 