“The Passion of the Christ” came out in 2004 and, 19 years later, remains the highest-grossing Christian movie. Now, Mel Gibson has revealed that filming is underway for the highly-anticipated sequel. Here’s what we know so far about “The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection” (or, “The Passion of the Christ 2”.)
What Is The Passion Of The Christ Sequel About?
While there isn’t much mystery about the film’s general synopsis, not much is known about the plot’s finer details. We do know that “The Passion of the Christ 2” looks at what happened to Jesus after his crucifixion.
This Mel Gibson sequel “focuses on the events that occurred three days between the crucifixion and resurrection when Jesus Christ descended to Abraham’s Bosom to preach and resurrect Old Testament saints,” according to a description on IMDB.com.
Gibson, who has been talking about the sequel for years, wants “The Passion of the Christ 2” to be “compelling” and “enlightening.”
“The Resurrection. Big subject. Oh, my God,” he told USA Today in 2016, according to CBN News. “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.”
Who Is In the ‘Resurrection” Cast?
Of course, the character of Jesus will again be played by actor Jim Caviezel. Also reprising their roles are Maia Morgenstern as Mary mother of Jesus, Christo Jivkov as John, and Francesco De Vito as Peter. Other cast members have not been announced yet.
When Will ‘The Passion of the Christ 2’ Be Released?
“The Passion of the Christ’s” sequel has no set release date yet. However, it is possible that the movie will be released in early 2024. It remains in pre-production, with filming primarily taking place in Rome, Italy. If the first “Passion” movie is any clue, “Resurrection” could hit theaters in February or March 2024 (or 2025). Christian holy days like Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter fall in March that year. Plus, many Christian movies and TV shows tend to be timed for holy days.
But, the length of time that a movie takes to go from pre-production to theaters is based on certain variables. So we can only guess about the “The Passion of the Christ 2’s” release date.
How Will the Sequel Compare to the Original Movie?
It’s too soon to tell how the sequel will compare to the original movie. We don’t really know any more beyond returning cast members and that the sequel will be filmed in Aramaic, Hebrew, and Latin. We can guess, though, that Gibson will likely aim for a PG-13 rating. The first “Passion of the Christ” movie is rated R, due to explicit depictions of the violent crucifixion scenes. Perhaps a less restrictive rating will translate into an even larger audience — and higher box office gross — for “The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection”.
“The Passion of the Christ,” released on February 25, 2004, reportedly had a budget of $30 million. It has made more than $611 million worldwide in theaters. And, it remains the top-grossing Christian-themed movie, according to Box Office Mojo.
Those are some pretty big shoes to fill. But lead star Jim Caviezel, 35 when he did the original, expressed confidence part two would smash records.
“I won’t tell you how he’s going to go about it,” Caviezel, now 54, previously said about Gibson. “But I’ll tell you this much: The film he’s going to do is going to be the biggest film in history. It’s that good.”
Are Those ‘The Passion of the Christ 2’ Trailers Real?
If you’ve been searching online for details about the new “Passion of the Christ” sequel, then you’ve likely come across several videos labeled “trailer” on YouTube. You were also likely disappointed to learn upon watching that those are not, in fact, actual trailers for the upcoming movie.
For the most part, those videos were made by fans speculating on what they think viewers can expect with the new “Passion of the Christ” movie. These concept trailers are a mashup of scenes from the original “The Passion of the Christ” movie and other Jesus movies. Some of them, like the one below, aren’t too bad. However, we wouldn’t recommend taking any shown release dates to heart.
