Mel Gibson says ‘Resurrection’ will explore different realms

With his 2004 box office hit “The Passion of the Christ” returning to theaters this month, Mel Gibson says the long-awaited follow-up will be a broader exploration of the world surrounding the biblical account of Jesus’ resurrection.

“The Passion of the Christ” will return to theaters nationwide for a limited one-week engagement from Sept. 10-17. The landmark biblical epic has been newly remastered in 4K for the re-release and will include a behind-the-scenes sneak peek at “The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One,” which is slated to hit theaters May 6, 2027.

First released in 2004, “The Passion of the Christ” starred Jim Caviezel as Jesus of Nazareth and depicted the final 12 hours of Christ’s life, including his trial, crucifixion and resurrection. The film became a cultural phenomenon, earning three Academy Award nominations and holding the distinction of the highest-grossing domestic R-rated film for 20 years. 

Gibson’s two-part follow-up — which stars Jaakko Ohtonen as Jesus — will take audiences well beyond the events depicted in the original film, including depictions of Hell, fallen angels and the origin of Satan.

“You’re going to different realms, of course,” Gibson told The Christian Post. “I mean, you’ll be in the firmament before the creation. You’ll be in the Hell of the just, and then you’ll be in the Hell of the damned. And so it jumps around a little bit. It doesn’t just stay on the planet here. It gets around.”

Gibson said “Resurrection,” which primarily follows the events after Jesus’ crucifixion, will seek to explore elements not fully detailed in the Gospels.

“If you look at the synoptic Gospels and they are synoptic, which means they don’t tell you everything,” Gibson said. “And even John says, ‘Y’know, hey, there were many other things [Jesus] said and did which, if they were to be written down, couldn’t fill all the libraries of all the world,’ right? So there’s a lot of stuff that wasn’t written and the Gospels are synoptic.”

Rather than ignoring them, Gibson said he used those gaps as an opportunity to explore possibilities while remaining within traditional Christian teaching.

“One can look at these things and go, ‘I wonder what was around that?’ and try and analyze those things and make suppositions about what might have been,” he said. “Not to go against anything in orthodox teaching but to enhance, I think, what’s there for everyone to see and hopefully they’ll be surprised by some of those revelations.”

With only a roughly $30 million budget, “Passion” ultimately earned more than $200 million at the box office, becoming the most successful R-rated film of all time. Gibson’s two-part follow-up, however, is expected to cost about $200 million, or $100 million per film, even without the backing of a major Hollywood studio. 

Gibson said the larger production allowed the filmmakers to expand their visual approach. “Of course, we had more funding to play with, so you have more toys, more tools, and you’re able to do bigger and better things with it,” he said.

The two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker also said the story will not focus exclusively on the resurrection itself, but rather will examine what happened afterward, including the experiences of Jesus’ followers.

“I think that these films will be even more of an inspiring nature, because you get to see all the happier bits, and then not so happy bits,” he said. “I mean, it wasn’t all beer and Skittles for the apostles; they had to go through some stuff, but they triumph, and so it should be inspiring, uplifting.

“And I hope that the audience can see and feel that, that it was worth it.”