Legendary Hollywood actor and filmmaker Mel Gibson isn’t exactly a stranger to controversy.
From brushes with the law to accusations of “homophobia,” Gibson has stared them all down to carve out a lengthy and prestigious Hollywood career.
And one of his most prestigious moments? The widely acclaimed “The Passion of the Christ” film, which starred Jim Caviezel and was released in 2004.
Fast forward two decades, and production on a highly-anticipated sequel to the beloved film is well underway (Though it’s worth noting that Caviezel won’t be portraying Jesus this time).
Which, naturally, means that Gibson is courting some sort of controversy.
The sequel to “The Passion of the Christ” is currently filming south of Rome, according to Variety.
During this filming, Gibson and the cast and crew of the sequel film had a special guest stop by:
— Arcivescovo Carlo Maria Viganò (@CarloMVigano) February 17, 2026
Excommunicated Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò posted pictures Tuesday to his X account, showcasing him visiting the set of the movie.
(As the liberal-leaning Variety describes it, Viganò “was excommunicated in 2024 for refusing to recognize Pope Francis’ authority and rejecting the Second Vatican Council that modernized the Roman Catholic Church. He has repeatedly referred to Francis as a liberal ‘servant of Satan’ and a ‘false prophet’ in public statements. Viganò is also known to be a big fan of U.S. President Donald Trump, a critic of gay rights, and a supporter of anti-vaccine positions.”)
Most interestingly, one of the images shared by Viganò seems to show him sitting next to Gibson while he was directing.
That led to local outlets reporting that Viganò was actually on-set to serve as a consultant for Gibson — sparking all manner of online consternation, given Viganò’s past controversy.
Variety ran with that angle, claiming its own sources confirmed the local outlets’ claims.
On Friday, however, TMZ dumped a bucket of cold water on that claim.
Movie sources told TMZ, definitively, that Viganò was not consulting on the film in any official capacity.
Viganò apparently wanted to visit the set and speak with Gibson — who had previously defended Viganò when he was excommunicated in 2024 — and nothing more.
“The Resurrection of the Christ,” the name of the sequel to “The Passion,” is expected to be released in March 2027.
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