Jim Caviezel is returning to the role that defined his career — and according to him, it’s not just acting, it’s more like spiritual warfare. More than 20 years after The Passion of the Christ stunned audiences and became one of the highest-grossing R-rated films of all time, Mel Gibson is back behind the camera for a sequel. Titled The Resurrection of the Christ, production is officially set to begin this August in Rome, with a tentative release date sometime in 2026. And yes, Caviezel will once again portray Jesus — thanks to a little help from modern technology, which might be the industry’s equivalent of praying for a miracle and receiving one.
“You want me to be Jesus again, don’t you?” Caviezel recalled asking Gibson. “I’m all in.”
Now 56, Caviezel will be digitally de-aged to portray Christ at 33, using the same kind of tech pioneered in films like The Irishman, although ideally with less awkward scenes of very old people having to walk like younger men. “Twenty years ago is [supposed to be] three days later,” Gibson told Joe Rogan last year. “So it has its own peculiar set of problems, which I think I can solve.”
What Is ‘The Resurrection of the Christ’ About?
It’s odd to think of this as a sequel to a blockbuster movie, but that’s what it is. The film is positioned as a direct continuation of the 2004 epic, picking up in the immediate aftermath of Christ’s crucifixion, which closed the previous iteration. But if you think you know where it’s going, think again, because there are some wild ideas at play coming up for audiences in the multiplexes. Gibson teased the film as an “acid trip”, which could explore Christ‘s time exploring Hades and dealing with fallen angels, and the Harrowing of Hell. Sounds pretty hardcore if we’re honest. Consider us intrigued.
“It’s a war,” Caviezel said of preparing for the role. “I’m not acting as Jesus. I’m asking Him to work through me.”
Joining Caviezel in The Resurrection are returning cast members Maia Morgenstern as Mary and Francesco De Vito as Peter. Gibson is directing and co-writing the screenplay alongside his brother Donal Gibson and Braveheart collaborator Randall Wallace.
Filming on The Resurrection of the Christ will begin in Rome later in 2025, with a release planned some time in 2026.
via Collider