The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection

After a long, long wait, it looks like The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection is actually happening. Embattled actor/director Mel Gibson, who continues to make news, spent $30 million in 2004 to bring his controversial film, The Passion of the Christ, to audiences and was rewarded with a massive box office. The surprising numbers brought talk of a sequel, one that has been in development for nearly 20 years.

Of course, it wasn’t just the $611.5 million Gibson’s film brought in that sparked talk of a sequel, though truth be told, it definitely helped. But it was also that there was more to the story. We saw in the first film Jesus’ life before and during his crucifixion and now, as the film’s title suggests, we are going to see the resurrection of Jesus.

IT WILL BE TITLED THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST: RESURRECTION

At first, it was simply known as The Passion of the Christ 2. But now we know that the true title of Mel Gibson’s sequel to his 2004 controversial film will be called The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection. While the first Passion took us up to Jesus’ crucifixion, its sequel looks to deal with his return.

PASSION OF THE CHRIST 2 WILL BE ABOUT JESUS BEING RESURRECTED

There are plenty of rumors about where Gibson plans on taking his story. Obviously, we know what Jesus’ resurrection is all about, but how Gibson decides to get audiences there might be a different story. But the title is a dead giveaway.

With that said, there have been a number of rumors about the film’s plot. One early rumor had the film moving on from the 3 days between crucifixion and resurrection and instead focusing on the miracles and events that came after Jesus was resurrected. Another rumor said the film would focus more on the Heavenly Realm versus the earthly ones.

Jim Caviezel has had a chance to read the drafts of the film (of which they were up to 5 of them) and he explained to Fox News, “It’s going to be a masterpiece. It’s gonna be the biggest film in world history, I believe it will be based on what I feel in my heart.” He added, “It’s so imperative in this time, these films can’t be made now. The films they make are Marvel Comics movies. You’ll see Superman. You won’t see Jesus… I got to play the greatest superhero there ever was.”

To help him flesh out the massive story, Gibson has brought in Randall Wallace, a frequent partner. Wallace directed Gibson in We Were Soldiers and he also wrote the script for the film. He also wrote the script for one of Mel Gibson’s best movies, Braveheart, for which Gibson took home the Academy Award for Best Director and Wallace was nominated for Best Screenplay.

Back in 2016 (yes, the film has been in development for quite some time) Gibson told Raymond Arroyo his plans for the story which included it taking place in the spiritual realms between Jesus’ death and resurrection. “It’s a tall order,” Gibson said at the time. “It’s a vast theological experience …it gets pretty wild. It’s an acid trip.”

Gibson also said about the script, “It’s the never ending …it keeps revealing itself more and more the further you get into it. Everything from the fall of the angels to, you know, it’s just crazy. It opens up all these channels.”

PASSION OF THE CHRIST 2 WILL RETURN MAIA MORGENSTERN AND CHRISTO JIVKOV

Right now, the only cast that has been announced for The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection are some of the main players from the first film. Maia Morgenstern will appear again as Mary, while Christo Jivkov returns as John. Francesco De Vito will be back as Peter and, of course, Jim Caviezel will reappear as Jesus.

THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST TOLD THE STORY OF JESUS’S LIFE

The original Passion of the Christ was released with a ton of controversy both during the production and then as the film premiered. For those who may not have seen the movie, Passion tells the story of the last 12 hours of Jesus’ life with flashbacks to certain, important spiritual moments in his life.

The movie began with the Agony in the Garden, then the betrayal of Judas, it showed the graphically brutal Flagellation of Christ, the suffering of Mary, and the crucifixion and death of Jesus. The flashbacks include The Last Supper and the Sermon on the Mount. The movie ended with a very brief depiction of Jesus’ resurrection.

THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST HAD A NUMBER OF CONTROVERSIES

Though Passion of the Christ was a hit, not everyone was on board with it. The movie was attacked by many for alleged anti-semitism. And then there was the violence. In fact, movie critic Roger Ebert called the movie “the most violent film I have ever seen.”

Realistic in nature, the Flagellation scene was admittingly difficult to watch though it did portray, in graphic detail, the torture Christ was forced to endure. It has been reported that the film’s violence, in particular the crucifixion scene, caused heart attacks in two separate incidents, one of those a Brazilian pastor. You could see why that might give producers pause when considering whether to make The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection.

It wasn’t just the final product that was steeped in controversy. The production of the film had its many hardships too. The Passion of the Christ was filmed in Italy during the wintertime and brought on several bouts of pneumonia and hyperthermia for Caviezel, who is no stranger to controversy. During the flogging scene, a few errant lashes left Caviezel with a 14-inch scar on his back. While he was filming the Sermon on the Mount scene, it was reported that he was struck by lightning. Not only did the actor feel wrath from the sky, but first assistant director Jan Michelini also was hit by a lightning bolt.

The controversy didn’t just limit itself to the movie or production but went as high as the Pope himself. In what turned out to be a “he said or maybe he didn’t say” situation, it was reported at the time that Pope Paul II had said after seeing the film, “It is as it was.” The alleged endorsement was the kick Gibson needed. Others in the Vatican added their own praise for the movie, further helping Gibson’s movie. But then it didn’t.

The Pope’s Secretary and closet aide, Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, in what may have been his first-ever on-the-record remark, told the Catholic News Service, “The Holy Father told no one his opinion of the film.” After the controversial back and forth the Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls issued a statement confirming that the Pope’s impression of the film was never meant to become “official.” His entire statement follows:

“After consulting with the personal secretary of the Holy Father, His Excellency Mons. Stanislaw Dziwisz, I confirm that the Holy Father had the chance to view the film ‘The Passion of the Christ’. The film is a cinemagraphic representation of the historical fact of the Passion of Jesus Christ according to the Gospel account. It is customary for the Holy Father not to express public judgments on artistic works, judgments that are always open to differing valutations of an esthetic character.”

MEL GIBSON’S CONTROVERSIES COULD BE STALLING PASSION OF THE CHRIST: RESURRECTION

Gibson, for his own part, hasn’t helped the cause of making The Passion of the Christ 2. Many critics called his work on the original (as he was also the screenwriter) anti-semitic. He used too many different sources when putting together his story of Christ, so they say.

And then there was his 2006 incident when he was pulled over for DUI. He went o a drunk rant that he ended with, “F*cking Jews… the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world. Are you a Jew?” Obviously, that didn’t sit well in Hollywood and Gibson immediately went on the blacklist, a list that not too many come back from.

Mel Gibson paid a heavy price for his drunk statements to the police. Hollywood wouldn’t touch him so his climb from disgrace was a lengthy process, which could be one of the main reasons it’s taken so long for Passion of the Christ 2 to resurrect.

One of the biggest fallouts from his drunk rantings came when Todd Phillips (Joker, The Hangover series) had to deal with unhappy cast and crew members when Phillips was going to use Gibson in a surprise cameo on The Hangover 2. Gibson was prepared to tackle the very small, 2-minute role as a tattoo artist but dissension, reportedly led by Hangover star Zack Galifianakis, was in the ranks. Phillips ended up having to call Gibson and let his good friend know Phillips couldn’t use him. That may have been his low point.

But now Mel Gibson is ready to move on. He feels he’s paid his price, he’s said the proper things, made the proper changes to himself, and ready to tackle the rest of his career. “It’s behind me; it’s an eight-year-old story,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “It keeps coming up like a rerun, but I’ve dealt with it and I’ve dealt with it responsibly and I’ve worked on myself for anything I am culpable for.”

JIM CAVIEZEL WAS INJURED IN THE FIRST MOVIE

Although Caviezel is extremely high on the prospects of the sequel, he does acknowledge the pain he went through to make the first movie look so real. He talks about carrying the cross, “As I went down, the cross… it actually struck my head and buried my head in the sand. And I bit through my tongue,” he said, “Now, in the tape, you’ll see streams of blood coming down from my lip. That’s actually my own blood.”

His shoulder was also injured badly but he struggled through a key scene, “At this time, the shoulder is out and I was trying everything I had to get my arm over [the cross]. And it looks like it’s the most extraordinary take because it looks like I’m cherishing our cross, which is our faith, and hugging it but in the most beautiful way.” He continued, “It wasn’t beautiful to me because it hurt like hell… my AC joint had been torn.”

PASSION OF THE CHRIST: RESURRECTION WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO BE TRANSLATED IN LATIN AND ARAMAIC

Gibson wanted to get as close as he could. He didn’t want to go for an English-speaking film, he wanted to portray Jesus as he was, in the language he spoke. So he, along with Benedict Fitzgerald, wrote the original Passion of the Christ script in English then had it translated into Latin and reconstructed Aramaic by Jesuit Priest William Fulco, S.J., a professor at Loyola Marymount University.

Chances are this is the route they will take for The Passion of the Christ 2. A bone of contention for Gibson on the first movie is that he intended the film to not include subtitles. He wanted the audience to be able to follow the story visually and not necessarily the spoken words. This was a battle he fought but eventually lost.

THERE IS NO PLANNED RELEASE DATE FOR THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST: RESURRECTION

The Passion of the Christ 2’s original release date was set for March 31, 2021, but that obviously has come and gone. When screenwriter Randall Wallace was asked about the script, he explained how it was going, “It’s something we talk about a lot… My major in college was religion, and I did a year seminary afterward. My major focus of study was the resurrection. That is the Mount Everest of movies and we are in discussions about it a lot. It’s a highly charged one, so we keep our cards close to our chest.”

As of right now, there is no official release date for Gibson’s sequel. We know they are in pre-production, but we don’t even know what that looks like at the moment. Gibson and company have at least updated the release year for The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection to 2024, so that appears to be the earliest we may see the film and if they play their cards right, it could come out around Easter, but that is just speculation.