Mel Gibson Says ‘Resurrection of the Christ’ Will Tackle the Origin of Satan, Story Travels Through “Different Realms of Hell”

Mel Gibson is back, and he’s thinking big—really big. His two-part “Resurrection of the Christ,” currently in post-production, will reportedly have each instalment budgeted at around $125M, making the combined $250M figure practically unheard of for a biblical epic in today’s market.

Much like the original, the films are likely to be major successes with conservative and religion-leaning audiences—and that’s a huge, largely unmet demographic in Hollywood. Almost half the country. To make it more accessible, Gibson didn’t shoot this one in Aramaic, but rather in standard English (boo!). Jim Caviezel and Monica Bellucci will not return, with Jaakko Ohtonen playing Jesus and Mariela Garriga as Mary Magdalene.

So, what we know so far: “Resurrection” will pick up after Christ’s crucifixion, moving into the beyond. However, this isn’t your standard biblical retelling. Gibson has described the project as “an acid trip,” featuring angelic and demonic battles and Christ’s descent into hell that will “mess you up.”

Mad Mel is now spilling more details. Speaking with The Christian Post, Gibson tells us to expect Hell, fallen angels, and the origin of Satan.

You're going to different realms, of course. 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.

This is what happens when you give a madman filmmaker $250M to make the movie he wants. Remember, “The Passion of the Christ” only cost $30M. With “Resurrection,” Gibson received 4–5x that amount, and he’s clearly in a state of glee about it.

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

To make things even wilder, Gibson won’t be relying solely on the Bible as his source material. He plans to flesh out the gaps in the Gospels, exploring elements of the story that Scripture does not fully detail.

If you look at the synoptic Gospels and they are synoptic, which means they don't tell you everything. 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.

Come on, admit it, you are absolutely curious about how this movie will turn out. I mean, how could you not? Mel Gibson has been given an enormous budget and the freedom to take one of the most familiar stories in history in a radically different direction. Whether it ends up being a masterpiece, something completely bonkers, or both, ‘Resurrection’ already feels like the kind of movie that will be impossible to ignore.

Part One is set for May 6, 2027, followed by Part Two on May 25, 2028.