It’s the second coming of Christ — but the original cast won’t be resurrected. After years of rumors, delays, and near-total silence, Mel Gibson is officially moving forward with The Resurrection of the Christ, the long-awaited sequel to his 2004 biblical phenomenon The Passion of the Christ, but according to reports, the film is set to begin production in Rome with an entirely new cast. That means Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus in the original, will not return — nor will Monica Bellucci, who portrayed Mary Magdalene.

Gibson’s sequel has been in development for nearly two decades, its progress slowed by both creative challenges and the director’s controversial public history. Despite personal setbacks, including industry backlash following a series of scandals, Gibson’s reputation as a filmmaker was partially rehabilitated after Hacksaw Ridge earned him an Oscar nomination in 2016. Now sober and back in the director’s chair, Gibson is preparing what he describes as the most ambitious project of his career. Lionsgate has announced that The Resurrection of the Christ will arrive in two parts.

Why Is The Resurrection of the Christ Split Into Two?

Speaking earlier this year at Fan Expo Philadelphia, Gibson opened up about why the project took so long — and why it eventually grew beyond a single film.

“It took me about eight years to write the script for the sequel. It’s a very complex and almost impossible to understand subject. You have to underpin it with a great deal of all of salvation history and theology.”

The filmmaker explained that the story’s scope stretches across time, blending philosophy, religion, and cosmic imagery.

“It was a very difficult thing to find and synthesize. You have to understand why it matters — why mankind is so important in this process. Why are the big realms of good and evil slugging it up for the hearts and souls of mankind? Why us? We’re imperfect. You have to ask yourself, why are we important?”

It was that search for meaning, Gibson said, that revealed a much larger structure — one that couldn’t be contained in a single film.

“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.”

The Resurrection of the Christ — Part One premieres March 26, 2027, with Part Two arriving May 6, 2027, exclusively in theaters.

via Collider