The long-awaited sequent to “The Passion of the Christ” will begin filming in January 2024, according to a veteran Hollywood reporter.
Jordan Ruimy of the popular entertainment website World of Reel recently reported this that “The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection” would focus on the events between Christ’s crucifixion and his rising from the dead. Ruimy is the same journalist who reported last year that production on the movie was imminent. Jim Caviezel will portray Jesus, as he did in the 2004 film.
“Back in January, I had heard that ((Mel) Gibson was finally very close to shooting `The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection,’ a midyear shoot had been planned,” Ruimy wrote. “Now we’re looking at January. The production date seems set in stone.”
Gibson directed the 2004 movie, which grossed $611 million worldwide and received three Oscar nominations for cinematography, makeup and original score.
“Gibson has been hard at work on the screenplay with `Braveheart’ screenwriter Randall Wallace — there have already been six drafts,” Ruimy reported. “Gibson has been shooting `Flight Risk,’ starring Mark Wahlberg, in Las Vegas. The last movie Gibson directed was 2016’s `Hacksaw Ridge.’ which garnered six Academy Award nominations, including best picture, best director and best actor.”
Gibson implied that one of the scripts he was examining had scenes in hell and showed the angels falling from heaven.
“It is such a massive undertaking that you can’t do it lightly, and you can’t do it quickly,” Gibson said. “You have to really consider what it is that you need to show in order to be poignant.”
The movie won’t be “linear,” he said. “You have to have many things to juxtapose against one another, even from different time periods in order to illustrate what something means in a fuller way,” Gibson said “It’s going to be a real jigsaw puzzle to do.”
One possible snag in the production timeline is the time is the ongoing strike by union actors and screenwriters.
In an interview with Davin Nunes “Unplugged,” Jim Caviezel said the production may split “Resurrection” into two films. “This might be the biggest film in the history of the world,” he said.
–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice
