Jim Caviezel will not return to the sequel 'The Resurrection of the Christ'; Mel Gibson seeks new Jesus Christ

It is not possible to “resurrect” everyone.

It has been confirmed that Jim Caviezel will not return like Jesus Christ in The Resurrection of the Christ –o The resurrection of Christ in our region–, the sequel that Mel Gibson prepares for his acclaimed film The Passion of the Christ (2004).

Another member of the original cast who also does not return: Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene.

• The sequel will be divided into two parts due to its extensive history (more on that below).

Looking ahead to the next start of his production in Rome, Gibson is already looking for his new Jesus Christ. The Page Six media revealed:

“They are currently meeting with the actors in Rome”.

Another source told the media that they made the decision because “they would have had to work a lot with the original actors… digital aspects, in addition to logistics”.

“There were many comings and goings”they said, adding that the film has been in pre-production for a couple of months.

It had previously been announced that Gibson had plans to implement rejuvenation technology to get Caviezel to return to the skin of a Jesus at 33 years old. The actor is currently 57 years old. The tool is not new in Hollywood, as it has already been used in multiple projects, including Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Captain America: Civil War to rejuvenate Robert Downey Jr., the drama Here by Robert Zemeckis, among others.

Those plans, as Page Six reveals, have been scrapped.

The script of Resurrection is co-written by Gibson y Randall Wallace (Braveheart). Some reports indicate that both wrote up to six drafts of the script prior to the final one.

Regarding its possible plot, it is believed that the story will address “the descent of Christ into hell”, also known as the “torn of hell,” which in Christian theology refers to the period of time between Jesus' crucifixion and his resurrection. In Christ's descent into hell, He brought with Him the salvation of souls held captive there since the beginning of the world.

This descent is mentioned in the Apostles' Creed, where it is briefly said that “he descended into hell,” but the release to the dead is not specified.

Last May, during his participation at the Fan Expo Philadelphia, Gibson confirmed that the sequel The Resurrection of the Christ It will be divided into two filmssaying:

“It took me about eight years to write the script for the sequelif we can call it The Resurrection of Christ, because it is a very complex topic and almost impossible to understand. So necessarily It must be based on much of the history and theology of salvation..”

“To understand that, you have to start with the fall of the angels in the sky, right at the beginning… it's not one movie, it's two movies, because it's huge..”

The actor and filmmaker also addressed the complexities of putting together a project of this caliber precisely and in a non-linear path:

“It was very difficult to find and synthesize, why First you have to understand why it matters… You have to think: why is humanity so important in this process? Why do the great kingdoms of good and evil fight for the hearts, minds and souls of humanity? Why us? We're just a bunch of fucked up things. We are imperfect. You have to ask yourself: why are we important? Why are we making the sandwich? “All that enormous history.”

Until 2024, The passion of Christ It still held the record as the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time in the United States. It had a US box office opening of $83 million, and amassed a total of $370 million. Its global box office was more than $610 million, against a budget of $30 million.

Gibson's acclaimed film combined supernatural elements with the harrowing depiction of the crucifixion, drawing heavily on Catholic imagery and traditions.

Gibson and Bruce Davey's Icon Productions will produce the sequels.

Both films will be released in theaters in 2027. They will be distributed by Lionsgate on US territory. The company distributed Gibson's most recent films, Hacksaw Ridge y Flight Risk.