After almost a decade of anticipation, the Passion of the Christ sequel is finally in the works.
Passion of the Christ: Resurrection will begin filming in Spring 2023, picking up 24 hours after Jesus’s death. It will cover the three days between his crucifixion and resurrection, according to reports.
Actor Jim Caviezel, who played the Messiah character in the 2004 blockbuster, will also return in the title role, outlets report.
The original movie brought in over $612 million on just a $39 million budget. It is also one of the top 10 highest-grossing R-rated movies of all time, according to data from Box Office Mojo.
A sequel had been teased by actor and writer Mel Gibson and others for years. But the Mad Max and Lethal Weapon star said he wanted to take his time on a sequel. Fan-made trailers for the new movie have also popped up on various social media channels, including YouTube.
“That’s a very big subject, and it needs to be looked at because we don’t want to just do a simple rendering of it,” Gibson said in the early stages of development.
“But in order to read it, experience, and explore probably deeper meanings of what it’s about, it’s going to take some doing,” he added.
Gibson has been working alongside Braveheart screenwriter Randall Wallace, producing six drafts so far.