After years of rumors, delays, and near-total silence, Mel Gibson is officially moving forward with The Resurrection of the Christ, the long-anticipated sequel to his 2004 biblical epic The Passion of the Christ, with Lionsgate dropping a bombshell announcement: we are getting two more outings for the Jesus Christ Universe (JCU). Lionsgate will release The Resurrection of the Christ in two parts: Part One arrives on Good Friday, March 26, 2027, with Part Two following just 40 days later on Ascension Day, Thursday, May 6, 2027.

Speaking during a panel at Fan Expo Philadelphia a few months back, the director revealed why the project took so long—and why it’s become even bigger than anyone expected.

“It took me about eight years to write the script for the sequel, if we can call that The Resurrection of Christ, because it’s a very complex and almost impossible to understand subject,” Gibson said. “So that necessarily you have to underpin it with a great deal of all of salvation history and theology.”

That deep dive into theology meant the film could never be a straightforward continuation of Jesus’ journey from crucifixion to resurrection. Instead, Gibson set out to create something more philosophical in nature, with a scope that stretches across time and eternity.

“It was a very difficult thing to find and synthesize, because you have to understand, firstly, why it matters… You have to think, why is mankind so important in this process? Why are the big realms of good and evil slugging it up for the hearts and minds and souls of mankind? Why us? We’re just a bunch of f***ed up things. We’re imperfect. You have to ask yourself, why are we important? Why are we making the sandwich? That whole huge story.”

Why Is ‘The Passion of the Christ’ Sequel Being Split in Two?

In tackling those questions, Gibson realized he wasn’t making just one movie. “In order to understand that, you have to start with the fall of the angels in the firmament, before right at the beginning… it’s not one film, it’s two films, because it’s massive.”

This is the first time Gibson has publicly confirmed that The Resurrection of the Christ will be split into multiple parts—something Jim Caviezel, returning as Jesus, hinted at last year when he suggested the sequel could stretch to two or even three movies. Gibson has also confirmed the use of de-aging technology to bring Caviezel back as a younger Christ, following the trend of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Here.

Part One arrives on Good Friday, March 26, 2027, with Part Two following just 40 days later on Ascension Day, Thursday, May 6, 2027.