One of the most influential Christian movies of all time is receiving a sequel.
Filmmaker Mel Gibson plans to begin filming for the sequel to “The Passion of the Christ” this spring, according to the Daily Wire.
“Passion” depicts the trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, ending with His Resurrection.
Gibson has developed six draft screenplays for “The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection,” according to the Christian Broadcasting Network.
The sequel has been in development for ten years.
The film will depict Jesus’ crucifixion as well as the three days which preceded His resurrection, according to film journalist Jordan Ruimy.
Gibson previously confirmed that the sequel was in the works in a 2016 conversation with evangelist Greg Laurie, according to CBN.
“It’s called The Resurrection. Of course, that’s a very big subject and it needs to be looked at because we don’t want to just do a simple rendering of it — you know, read what happened.”
It’s possible Gibson’s sequel could depict the Christian understanding of Christ’s “Harrowing of Hell,” in which Jesus saved the righteous dead from Hell after His earthly death.
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Writer Randall Wallace is collaborating with Gibson on the film. Wallace is pointing to the reception of the first film as the impetus for the sequel.
“The evangelical community considers The Passion the biggest movie ever out of Hollywood, and they kept telling us that they think a sequel will be even bigger,” the writer told The Hollywood Reporter.
Wallace and Gibson previously worked together on “Braveheart,” one of many historical films produced and directed by Gibson (who also played the title role).
Much of the cast of the original 2005 movie is slated to reprise their roles in the sequel.
Jim Caviezel will return for the role of Christ, with Maia Morgenstern playing Mary and Francesco De Vito as Simon Peter.
“I always wanted to tell this story,” Wallace said of the sequel, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The original film became North America’s highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, depicting Christ’s crucifixion in graphic fashion, CBN reported.
“‘The Passion’ is the beginning, and there’s a lot more story to tell,” Wallace said.
