After seven months of filming at Cinecittà Studios in Rome, Mel Gibson’s The Resurrection of the Christ, the $250 million follow-up toThe Passion of the Christ, has officially wrapped production. In a new behind-the-scenes video on the YouTube channel Verité Vision, we see the cast and crew cheering on their final day of filming. Mel Gibson has a broad smile, and everyone seems in good spirits.
Which is exactly what you want from a film depicting the story of Christ. Split into two films, each carrying a budget somewhere between $100 million and $125 million, Gibson promised that The Resurrection of the Christ would be a very unique film exploring what happened after Christ’s death on the cross.
The budget says a lot about what to expect here, too. The first film made $610 million worldwide but had a small budget of $30 million. The fact that it’s so much more expensive this time around should tell you that the production costs have tripled – probably due to VFX, locations, and just the scale of the project. While nobody knows exactly what the story will be, rumors suggest it will follow Christ’s journey into hell and get the keys of death back from Satan. Mel himself has described it as an “acid trip”. It’s meant to show the parts of the story the gospels don’t quite describe.
In front and behind the cameras, there’s also a shake-up. Jim Caviezel won’t return as Christ. Instead, The Last Kingdom actor Jaakko Ohtonen will play Jesus. Also, Caleb Deschanel, who shot Passion, isn’t returning. Robrecht Heyvaert will take his place. That means we can probably expect a very different visual tone to the film, too – probably way more spectacle.
Lionsgate is going all-in on the releases of the two films, too. One arrives on March 26, 2027 (Good Friday). The other comes 40 days later, May 6, 2027 (Ascension Day). That’s pretty close to each other.
“For many, many people across the globe, The Resurrection of the Christ is the most anticipated theatrical event in a generation,” said Adam Fogelson, chair of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. “Mel is one of the greatest directors of our time… this project is both deeply personal to him and the perfect showcase for his talents.”
If Mel Gibson’s The Resurrection of the Christ is even half as popular as The Passion of the Christ, Lionsgate wins. If it’s not, heaven help us.
