Mel Gibson Plans Passion Of The Christ Sequel, The Resurrection

Mel Gibson may not be done with the Jesus story.

The notorious actor and filmmaker overcame personal controversies to enjoy a massive box office hit with his 2004 film ‘The Passion of the Christ,’ which cast Jim Caviezel as Jesus Christ in the brutal final hours of his life.

Independently produced for $30 million, ‘The Passion of the Christ’ was met with a mixed critical response but was warmly embraced by many Christians across the globe, taking almost $612 million worldwide ($370 million in the US alone).

Now, more than 12 years on – and with more than a few more high-profile personal scandals in the interim – Gibson says he plans to return to the Biblical story with ‘The Resurrection.’

Speaking at Christian event SoCal Harvest (quotes via Christian Post), Gibson said that he hopes to make ‘The Resurrection’ his next directorial project, in conjunction with his long-trusted screenwriter Randall Wallace (‘Braveheart,’ ‘We Were Soldiers’).

Gibson explained, “We’re talking about that. Of course, that is a huge undertaking.

"And you know, it’s not the ‘Passion 2.’ It’s called 'The Resurrection.’ Of course, that’s a very big subject and it needs to be looked at because we don’t want to just do a simple rendering of it — you know, read what happened.

"But in order to read it, experience and explore probably deeper meanings of what it’s about, it’s going to take some doing and Randall Wallace is up to the task.

"He is also, as well as a brilliant writer, he is a great director. He directed 'We Were Soldiers’ and 'Heaven is for Real’ and stuff. So, he is a good writer and director.”

Gibson went on to discuss the films he has directed – including his upcoming new release ‘Hacksaw Ridge,’ starring Andrew Garfield – as a different kind of superhero cinema.

“Faith is a real thing. I think that often times, I made the ultimate superhero film in the 'Passion of the Christ.’ Someone like [‘Hacksaw Ridge’ protagonist] Desmond Doss is also a superhero and real superheroes don’t wear spandex and they don’t have a lot of 3-D special effects.

"But, they do operate on a higher level, on a supernatural level. They actually look and appeal to something greater than themselves and then they do something super human.”

Still, whilst Gibson and Wallace may be working on ‘The Resurrection,’ there is currently no confirmation the film has a green light, nor is there any indication of whether Jim Caviezel would return to play Jesus Christ once again.

Picture Credit: Icon/20th Century Fox, WENN

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