From Variety:
Mel Gibson’s “The Resurrection of the Christ,” his long-delayed follow up to 2004’s “The Passion of the Christ,” has cast Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen (“The Last Kingdom”) in the role of Jesus, replacing original star Jim Caviezel.
Shooting started last week at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios on the film, with its main ensemble having been entirely recast. More than 20 years ago, Gibson shot the original “Passion of the Christ” at Cinecittà, which became one of the largest-grossing independent films of all time with a worldwide box office of $610 million. As previously announced, “The Resurrection of the Christ” will be split into two films, with each part set to release in 2027…
…Because of the time frame in which “The Resurrection of the Christ” takes place — three days after Christ’s crucifixion on Good Friday — “it made sense to recast the whole film,” a source close to the production told Variety. “They would have had to do all this CGI stuff, all this digital stuff — de-aging and all that — that would have been very costly,” the source noted.
In April, the 57-year-old Caviezel had suggested on the “Arroyo Grande” podcast that he was ready to reprise his career-defining role of Jesus in the follow up. Ohtonen, who is 36, is presently best known for his role as the Dane warrior Wolland in the fifth season of Netflix’s historical epic “The Last Kingdom.”
“The Resurrection of the Christ” is being produced by Gibson, Bruce Davey and their Icon Productions banner with Lionsgate as the studio partner.
