Mel Gibson has just released a major update to the long-awaited sequel to his 2004 blockbuster The Passion of the Christ.
On Thursday’s Joe Rogan Podcast, the actor and director said he plans to begin filming the sequel in 2026. The title is “The Resurrection of Christ.”
“We’re hoping to start (shooting) sometime next year,” Gibson said. “(The script) is an acid trip, so there’s a lot going on. I’ve never read anything like that. There’s some crazy stuff. To tell the story properly, you have to start with the fall of the angels.” You must go to hell. You must go to Sheol.”
Logan asked. “So you’re going to go to hell?” Are you going to get Satan? ”
Gibson nodded. “I need to know where he comes from. I have ideas about how to do that and how to evoke things to portray it. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. Quite a bit. I don’t know if I’ll be able to pull it off. It’s very ambitious, but I’m going to try and find a way to do it that’s not cheap and obvious. It’s almost like a magic trick. (The story) begins with the fall of the angels and the death of the last apostle.
The director said original Passion star Jim Caviezel will reprise his role as Jesus, but it’s been 20 years since the original film, and only three days have passed in the story. He said he may need the help of de-aging CGI.
Gibson said he had been working on the script for seven years with his brother Donal and Braveheart screenwriter Randall Wallace. He suggested that the dialogue would likely be in English rather than Aramaic or Hebrew, as the story’s concept is quite difficult to understand and having the actors speak in another language might be overkill.
Gibson added that he personally believes the resurrection actually happened. “Every one of those apostles died without abandoning their faith. No one dies because of a lie,” he said. But he also recognized that the resurrection is the most difficult part of the Christ story for most people to believe. “Who stands up three days after being killed? Buddha did not do that.”
Gibson also said part of his faith in the Bible stems from the fact that his faith has helped him stay sober. The actor suffered a public fallout in 2006 after being arrested for drunk driving, during which he was recorded making anti-Semitic remarks.
“There are a lot of things that happen in your life… that are the result of appealing to a higher power outside of yourself,” Gibson said. “I don’t think it’s any secret that I’m flawed in nature, that I was born an alcoholic. I’ve done drugs, I’ve done alcohol, and nothing is going to stop me from doing that. It was a miracle for me to be able to appeal to something beyond myself.”
