Mel Gibson has revealed the first look at ‘The Resurrection of the Christ,’ his long-delayed follow-up to 2004’s ‘The Passion of the Christ.’ The two-part biblical epic has wrapped filming after a 134-day shoot in Italy, but both films now have new release dates. ‘Part One’ will open on May 6, 2027, while ‘Part Two’ will arrive on May 25, 2028.
‘The Resurrection of Christ’ release dates delayed
Variety reported that production finished ahead of schedule after filming in Rome, Bari, Ginosa, Craco, Brindisi and Matera. Gibson also confirmed that the release plan has changed. ‘Part One’ was moved from March 26, 2027, to May 6, 2027. ‘Part Two’ shifted from May 6, 2027, to May 25, 2028.Both films will open on Ascension Day, the Christian holiday that marks Jesus Christ’s ascension into heaven.“I’m deeply grateful to my incredibly talented cast and crew for pouring their hearts into this production. Together, we created something powerful,” Gibson said. “This film represents a major part of my life’s work, and it has demanded everything of me as a filmmaker and as an artist. This is far more than a film to me. It’s a mission I’ve carried for over 20 years to tell what I believe is the most important story in human history.”
Mel Gibson returns to ‘The Passion of the Christ’ story
‘The Resurrection of the Christ’ follows ‘The Passion of the Christ,’ which starred Jim Caviezel as Jesus of Nazareth and Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene. The 2004 film focused on the final 12 hours before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.The new films will focus on the resurrection. Gibson wrote the scripts with Randall Wallace and has described them as an “acid trip,” saying he “never read anything like” them.Jaakko Ohtonen and Mariela Garriga take over as Jesus and Mary Magdalene. The cast also includes Pier Luigi Pasino, Kasia Smutniak, Riccardo Scamarcio and Rupert Everett.‘The Passion of the Christ’ earned USD 610 million worldwide against a USD 30 million production budget. It held the domestic R-rated box office record with USD 370 million until Disney’s ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ made USD 636 million domestically in 2024.Lionsgate will release the films in North America, the United Kingdom and Latin America through IDC. The studio has also set international partners across Germany, France, Spain, Benelux, Scandinavia, South Africa, Poland, Eastern Europe, Switzerland, Portugal, the Baltics, Australia and New Zealand.Adam Fogelson, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair, called Gibson “a true visionary with an artist’s eye for scale and a storyteller’s instinct for emotional truth.”
