The success of 2004’s The Passion of the Christ cannot be understated – Mel Gibson’s grisly biblical epic grossed over $600 million worldwide and remained the highest-grossing R-rated film in the U.S. for more than 20 years until being dethroned by Deadpool and Wolverine.
For the better part of the last decade Gibson has been trying to get a sequel project made focused on Jesus’ resurrection, and while there’s an undeniably huge potential audience for this Christian blockbuster sequel, the continually stalled development left many skeptical it would ever happen.
After all, Gibson has a thermonuclear reputation in Hollywood for numerous reasons, but after many years of promising the sequel was coming along, The Resurrection of the Christ indeed finally began shooting in October.
It was then also confirmed that the sequel project will now be two movies shot back-to-back with an apparent combined budget of $200 million.
Though original stars Jim Caviezel and Monica Bellucci were originally expected to return as Jesus and Mary Magdalene, the length of time that’s passed ultimately led Gibson to recast the roles, with Jaakko Ohtonen and Mariela Garriga subbing in respectively.
It remains to be seen if the Mel Gibson who just gave us Flight Risk still has what it takes to deliver an awe-inspiring tentpole epic, but if it’s marketed well it’s probably going to be a monster hit with the Christian crowd.
