Mel Gibson has found his Jesus.
The Resurrection of the Christ,” his long-murmured sequel to 2004’s blood-soaked box-office miracle “The Passion of the Christ” has forced Gibson to swap out his original Jesus, Jim Caviezel, for Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen (”The Last Kingdom”).
Production quietly kicked off last week at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios — the same place Gibson filmed the first one. Only this time, it’s a total recast. Apparently, the filmmakers decided that digitally de-aging the old cast was “too expensive.”
Caviezel, 57, was supposed to undergo digital de-aging to portray Jesus at age 33. It doesn’t help that the sequel takes place right after the end of the original film, which was released 21 years ago.
Joining Ohtonen is Mariela Garriga (”Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning”) as Mary Magdalene, taking over for Monica Bellucci; Kasia Smutniak (Domina) as Mary, replacing Maia Morgenstern; Pier Luigi Pasino (The Law According to Lidia Poët) as Peter; and Riccardo Scamarcio (Modì) as Pontius Pilate. Rupert Everett has also been cast in a “small but important” role.
The sequel will reportedly unfold over the three days following Christ’s crucifixion — so, not much time for character development. Gibson plans to split it into two films. “The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One” lands on Good Friday, March 26, 2027, followed by Part Two on Ascension Day, May 6, 2027.
Gibson has continuously delayed shooting “Resurrection.” The film was originally supposed to shoot in 2023, then 2024, and now, October 2025 seems to his lucky year. The sequel to Gibson’s 2004 mega-blockbuster has been ruminating in development for almost two decades.