A Few Thoughts On Mel Gibson’s THE RESURRECTION OF THE CHRIST

Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ has become something of a political and cultural hot potato since its release in 2004. I’m not going to get into any of that brouhaha, but I remain steadfast in my belief that Gibson’s drama, which covers the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus Christ, is a first-rate piece of filmmaking. Nobody would bankroll the film or distribute it, so Gibson self-funded the $30 million picture, which was then distributed by boutique company Newmarket. It went on to gross more than $612 million at the global box office. 

Gibson is currently in Rome, gearing up to film not one, but two sequels to the Jim Caviezel pic in the city’s famed Cinecittà Studios. The Resurrection of the Christ will (obviously) chart Jesus’ resurrection, with Caviezel once again returning to play the title role – de-aged by digital effects. Monica Belluci is also expected to once again play Mary Magdalene. 

The Resurrection of the Christ was originally set to be just one film, opening on Good Friday 2027 (March 26th), but in a bold move, distributor Lionsgate has announced that it will now be split into two films, with the second set to hit screens on Ascension Thursday 2027 (May 6th).

Speaking on Joe Rogan’s podcast in 2024, Gibson discussed The Resurrection of the Christ, explaining that it has quite a lot of heady concepts, which led him to make the decision to shoot the films in English—as opposed to Latin and Aramaic like the 2004 film.

“There’s a lot required because it’s an acid trip. I’ve never read anything like it.”

“I think in order to tell the story properly you have to really start with the fall of the angels, which means you’re in another place, you’re in another realm. You need to go to hell.”

I’m excited about this. Mel Gibson is a bold, world-class filmmaker. The Man Without a Face (1993), Braveheart (1995), The Passion of the Christ (2004), Apocalypto (2006), and Hacksaw Ridge (2016) are all excellent films – and he even added some serious panache into something as light-weight as the 2025 thriller, Flight Risk. I have no doubt that Gibson’s Passion sequels will also deliver the goods in a way that many won’t expect.

These films will be controversial. The subject matter—and Mel Gibson himself—will be a lightning rod for cultural discourse that will have nothing to do with the quality of the films themselves. I know this two years down the road from their release. It’s a shame, really, because I fully expect The Resurrection Of the Christ to be a powerful cinematic experience. However, the world we live in today won’t allow for that. It will be a right-and-left argument, a public debate on politics that will have nothing to do with what Gibson delivers on screen. Ultimately, none of this matters, because great filmmaking should transcend political and religious divides—and the work will speak for itself.

Read the Movies In Focus review of The Passion Of The Christ