More than two decades after The Passion of the Christ shook global cinema, Mel Gibson is bringing the long-awaited sequel — The Resurrection of the Christ — to the big screen, and this time it’s coming in two powerful parts.
The upcoming films are set for a dramatic back-to-back release: Part one will hit cinemas on Good Friday, March 26, 2027, and part two will follow just 40 days later on Ascension Day, May 6, 2027. The dual release is symbolic, reflecting the biblical timeline of Jesus’ resurrection and ascension.
Gibson, who directed the 2004 original, returns behind the camera, while Jim Caviezel reprises his role as Jesus Christ. Also returning are Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene, Maia Morgenstern as Mary, and Francesco De Vito as Peter.
Gibson has been developing the project for years, wrestling with how best to depict the resurrection narrative. In past interviews, he described the story as complex, non-linear, and even otherworldly, teasing that it ventures into realms of heaven, hell, and spiritual warfare.
“It’s not a linear narrative… You have to juxtapose the central event with everything else in the future, the past, and in other realms,” Gibson explained, calling one of the scripts “very structured” and the other “like an acid trip.”
The two completed scripts represent starkly different tones — one traditional and grounded, the other described as visually wild and spiritually surreal, complete with depictions of hell and fallen angels. The final production reportedly blends elements of both, offering a mix of historical gravitas and metaphysical spectacle.
Reuniting with Caviezel after more than 20 years posed its own challenge, but Gibson was confident in the actor’s return:
“Nobody else could play that part,” he said. “It’s going to be a Rip Van Winkle kind of thing… You can fix that stuff now.”
The Resurrection of the Christ promises to be both a cinematic and spiritual event — not just a sequel, but an ambitious retelling of one of the most profound stories in human history.
