Mel Gibson has given an update on his much-delayed sequel to 2004’s Biblical blockbuster “The Passion of the Christ.”
Speaking on Joe Rogan’s podcast, he said production on the film — which has been in development since at least 2016 — could begin in 2026.
“I’m hoping next year sometime. There’s a lot required because it’s an acid trip,” he said, adding that he’d “never read anything like” the script, which Gibson’s been writing alongside Randall Wallace.
“My brother and I and Randall all sort of congregated on this. So there’s some good heads put together, but there’s some crazy stuff,” he said. “And I think in order to really tell the story properly you have to really start with the fall of the angels, which means you’re in another place, you’re in another realm. You need to go to hell.”
Gibson also unveiled the film’s official title: “The Resurrection of the Christ.”
Popular on Variety
Last year it was revealed the Gibson had been scouting for for filming locations in Europe, reportedly touring Malta before visiting various ancient towns in the Southern Italian region of Puglia.
In a 2022 interview with the National Catholic Register, Gibson said “Resurrection” was “not a linear narrative,” adding that “you have to juxtapose the central event that I’m trying to tell with everything else around it in the future, in the past, and in other realms, and that’s kind of getting a little sci-fi out there.”
“The Passion of the Christ” — Gibson’s take on Jesus’ final days on earth up to his crucifixion — became the largest-grossing independent film of all time with a worldwide box office of nearly $612 million. The film was considered anti-Semitic due to its implication that Jewish leaders were to blame for Jesus’ death. However, the controversy fueled interest with churches booking out entire theaters for their congregants.