Plans are underway for a sequel to “The Passion of the Christ.” The movie, one of the highest grossing of all times, told the story of the crucifixion of Jesus. Insiders say the new movie will be the biggest movie ever made.
Speaking with evangelist Greg Laurie about the 2004 the film’s director, Mel Gibson says it’s a huge undertaking.
“You know, it’s not The Passion 2. It’s called The Resurrection. Of course, 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 — you know, read what happened… But in order to read it, experience and explore probably deeper meanings of what it’s about, it’s going to take some doing and Randall Wallace is up to the task.”
When asked why Gibson often explores faith in his work, including in his Oscar-winning Hackshaw Ridge, he responded:
“Faith is a real thing. I think that often times, I made the ultimate superhero film in The Passion of the Christ. Someone like Desmond Doss is also a superhero and real superheroes don’t wear spandex and they don’t have a lot of 3-D special effects. But, they do operate on a higher level, on a supernatural level. They actually look and appeal to something greater than themselves and then they do something super human.”
Gibson said in an interview last year that the film is going to focus on the Resurrection.
Jim Caviezel, 49, who will reprise the role of Jesus, gave few details about the film, but made the prediction because the movie will be “that good.”
“There are things that I cannot say that will shock the audience,” said Caviezel, who also said he was inspired by Gibson. “It’s great. Stay tuned.”
Gibson told USA Today in 2016, “The Resurrection. Big subject. Oh, my God. We’re trying to craft this in a way that’s cinematically compelling and enlightening so that it shines new light, if possible, without creating some weird thing.”
Upon its release, “The Passion of the Christ” was the highest-grossing R-rated film in North America, generating $611 million worldwide on a $30 million budget.
“Of course, 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 — you know, read what happened,” the actor added.
“Passion of the Christ” screenwriter Randall Wallace told The Hollywood Reporter that “there’s a lot more story to tell.”
Caviezel, who hasn’t acted in a biblical film since then, will also portray Luke in “Paul, Apostle of Christ,” slated for a March 28 release.