The Passion of the Christ, released in 2004, broke numerous records: the highest-grossing Christian film of all time, the highest-grossing independent film of all time, and at the time the highest-grossing R-rated film. Now a new two-part film from Lionsgate and Icon Productions will follow up that film with the next part of the Gospel story.
The Resurrection of the Christ is scheduled to be released in two parts. Part One is set for release on May 6, 2027 — the feast of the Ascension that year. The Resurrection of the Christ: Part Two will be released May 25, 2028, coinciding with the Ascension Day and Memorial Day weekend. These dates replace the original release dates of March 26, 2027 (Good Friday) and May 6, 2027 (Ascension).
The film will star Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen, taking the place of Jim Caviezel as Jesus. Cuban actress Mariela Garriga will play Mary Magdalene, replacing Monica Bellucci. The original actors are not able to join, citing scheduling conflicts and the need for digital de-aging to reprise their roles more than 20 years later.
Kasia Smutniak will play Mary, previously portrayed by Maia Morgenstern; Peter will be portrayed by Italian actor Pier Luigi Pasino; and Riccardo Scamarcio will portray Pontius Pilate. Rupert Everett will appear in a “small but important role,” according to producers.
Oscar-winning director and producers Mel Gibson and Bruce Davey will return to the biblical source material from which the Passion film was drawn. Gibson co-wrote the new film with Braveheart screenwriter Randall Wallace. In a statement, Gibson said:
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.
Reuniting with many of my original collaborators from The Passion of the Christ — true masters of their craft — allowed us to bring this story to the screen exactly as I envisioned it.
Producers worked again with Rome’s Cinecittà Studios, where Gibson also shot the 2004 film. Filming has already concluded, operating ahead of schedule after shooting for 134 days in a number of locations across Italy: Rome, Bari, Ginosa, Craco, Brindisi (Torre Guaceto), and Matera.
Adam Fogelson, chair of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said the film will live up to the high expectations set for it after the incredible success of the original:
For many, many people across the globe, The Resurrection of the Christ is the most anticipated theatrical event in a generation. It is also an awe-inspiring and spectacularly epic theatrical film that is going to leave moviegoers worldwide breathless.
Audiences who have waited 20 years for this follow-up to The Passion will not be disappointed, said Fogelson in a later statement:
Mel is a true visionary with an artist’s eye for scale and a storyteller’s instinct for emotional truth. Every image we’ve seen from the 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.
