Honestly, it’s been over twenty years. Two decades since the original Passion movie basically broke the box office and started a thousand arguments at dinner tables across the world. People have been whispering about a follow-up for years, treating it like some kind of Hollywood myth that would never actually happen.
But here we are in 2026, and the project—officially titled The Resurrection of the Christ—is finally real. It's not just a "maybe" anymore.
There is a lot of noise out there. You’ve probably seen those weird AI-generated trailers on YouTube with the dramatic voiceovers, or read some conflicting reports about who is even in the movie. It’s confusing. Mel Gibson has been living in this headspace for a long time, and what he’s building isn’t just a simple "Part 2" where Jesus walks out of the tomb and says hello to the disciples.
It’s way weirder than that.
Why it took eight years just to write the script
Most sequels get pumped out in eighteen months. This one? Mel Gibson spent nearly a decade just trying to figure out how to put words on paper. He’s been working with Randall Wallace—the guy who wrote Braveheart—and they didn’t just want to film a few miracles.
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Gibson has called the script an "acid trip." That’s his own wording. He isn't talking about 1960s counter-culture, obviously; he’s talking about the sheer, mind-bending scale of what he’s trying to show. He wanted to go beyond the physical world.
The story doesn't just stay in Jerusalem. It dives into "Sheol"—the realm of the dead. We’re talking about the fall of the angels, the harrowing of hell, and spiritual warfare on a level that most Sunday school classes probably skip over. Basically, it's a cosmic epic.
The big cast shake-up: Is Jim Caviezel out?
This is where things get messy and, frankly, a bit controversial. For the longest time, everyone assumed Jim Caviezel was a lock. He’s been the biggest cheerleader for the sequel, giving these intense interviews where he says it’ll be the "biggest film in world history."
But the latest word from late 2025 and early 2026 is that things have changed. Recent reports from Entertainment Weekly and Variety suggest that Gibson has pivoted to a younger lead.
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- The New Jesus: Jaakko Ohtonen, a Finnish actor, has reportedly stepped into the role.
- Why the change? Apparently, the de-aging tech needed to make a 57-year-old Caviezel look like a 33-year-old Jesus was becoming a massive hurdle.
- The rest of the cast: We’re looking at Mariela Garriga taking over as Mary Magdalene and Pier Luigi Pasino as Peter.
It’s a gutsy move. Replacing the face of the first movie is always a risk, but Gibson seems more focused on the "otherworldly" vibe than on star power. However, some industry insiders still wonder if Caviezel might show up in some capacity, given how closely he's been linked to the project for years.
It's not one movie—it's two
Lionsgate dropped the bombshell recently that this isn't going to fit into a standard two-hour runtime. The story grew so big during the writing phase that they’re splitting it.
The first part, The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One, is currently slated to hit theaters on March 26, 2027. That’s Good Friday. Then, forty days later—fittingly on Ascension Day, May 6, 2027—we get Part Two.
This isn't just about the three days in the tomb. Gibson is trying to cover everything from the death of the last apostle back to the very beginning of the "spiritual war." It’s "The Mount Everest of stories," as Randall Wallace put it. They aren't holding back on the budget either; rumors put it around the $200 million mark.
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What to actually expect from the "Acid Trip"
If you’re expecting a light, inspirational film, you’re probably going to be shocked. Remember how brutal the first one was? This one seems less focused on physical blood and more on "disturbing and haunting" spiritual imagery.
Gibson wants to depict the "unseen realm." Think less The Ten Commandments and more Paradise Lost meets a high-budget supernatural thriller. He’s trying to show what happened when Christ "descended into hell."
It’s ambitious. Maybe too ambitious? Gibson himself admitted on Joe Rogan's podcast that he wasn't 100% sure he could pull it off because it's so complex. But they’ve been filming in Rome and across Italy through late 2025, so the wheels are in motion.
What this means for you
If you're a fan of the original or just a cinema nerd, here is how you should track this over the next few months:
- Ignore the "trailers" on social media: Almost everything you see on TikTok or YouTube right now is AI-generated fan art. The official trailer likely won't drop until late 2026.
- Watch Mel's other work: To get a sense of his current directing style, check out Flight Risk. It’s his most recent project and shows he hasn't lost that high-tension edge.
- Check the casting credits: Keep an eye on IMDb and trade publications for confirmation on the Jim Caviezel vs. Jaakko Ohtonen situation. There is still a lot of debate in the fan community about whether the recast is final or if Caviezel will appear in flashbacks.
- Mark the 2027 dates: This isn't a 2026 release. Don't go looking for tickets this Christmas. The "Resurrection" is a 2027 event.
This project is shaping up to be just as polarizing as the first one. Whether it works or not, it’s definitely not going to be boring.