Mel Gibson's Sequel Is Coming: What Christians Should Know Before Watching
After more than two decades of speculation, it is officially happening. Mel Gibson's sequel to The Passion of the Christ is filming right now in Rome, and we have a release date — actually, two of them.
The Resurrection of the Christ will arrive in theaters as a two-part epic: Part One on Good Friday, March 26, 2027, and Part Two on Ascension Day, May 6, 2027. With a combined budget of $200 million — the biggest project at the 2025 American Film Market — this is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious faith-based films ever produced.
The anticipation is enormous. Some are already calling it "the most anticipated theatrical event in a generation." Filming began at Rome's legendary Cinecittà Studios in October 2025, with additional shooting in ancient southern Italian towns like Matera and Gravina. Gibson has described the scope as sweeping from "the fall of the angels to the death of the last apostle" — a narrative spanning from before creation to roughly 95 AD.
Here is what we know about the cast: the entire original ensemble has been replaced. Jim Caviezel, now 57, will not return as Jesus. Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen (Vikings: Valhalla) takes over the role, alongside Mariela Garriga as Mary Magdalene, Kasia Smutniak as Mary the mother of Jesus, and Riccardo Scamarcio as Pontius Pilate. Rupert Everett has been cast in an undisclosed role.
Gibson has been characteristically bold about his vision, calling the film "an acid trip" that will explore Christ's descent into hell, angelic and demonic battles, and the supernatural realm beyond what any biblical film has attempted.
Christians everywhere are excited. And they should be — any major film that puts the story of Jesus in front of a global audience is worth paying attention to.
But we want to suggest something: before the sequel arrives, take a closer look at the original.
Not to ruin the excitement but to deepen it and at least be prepared with the right foundation.
Why This Matters Right Now
You have over a year before Part One hits theaters. That is not a countdown to worry — it is a window to prepare. And Resurrection season 2026 is the perfect time to start.
Every year during this time, churches and families revisit The Passion of the Christ. It is a powerful, deeply affecting film. Many of us wept watching it. Many came to faith through it. We are not here to take that away from anyone.
But we are here to ask an honest question: How closely does the film actually follow Scripture?
Most Christians assume the answer is "very closely." That assumption was reinforced by some of the biggest names in the faith. Billy Graham said the film was "a lifetime of sermons in one movie." Rick Warren called it "the most biblically accurate film ever made." Jack Hayford, Robert Schuller, and dozens of other prominent leaders endorsed it in similar terms.
Here is the uncomfortable truth: a careful, scene-by-scene comparison tells a very different story.
The Source Material Most People Don't Know About
The biggest surprise for most Christians learning about The Passion of the Christ is not what the film changed (if they even noticed) — it is what the film was based on.
The primary source was not the four Gospels. It was a book called The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774–1824), a Catholic nun and mystic who claimed to receive visions from the Virgin Mary and visits from deceased saints. Her accounts were transcribed at her bedside by the poet Clemens Brentano and published in 1833, nearly a decade after her death.
Here is something worth knowing: when the Catholic Church beatified Emmerich in 2004 — the same year Gibson's film released — they deliberately set aside Brentano's transcriptions of her visions. Vatican official Peter Gumpel stated: "Since it was impossible to distinguish what derives from Sister Emmerich and what is embroidery or additions, we could not take these writings as a criterion." The very Church that beatified her could not vouch for the accuracy of the visions Gibson used as his source material.
This is not obscure trivia. It is the foundation the entire film was built on. The Dolorous Passion gave the film its structure (the 14 Stations of the Cross — a Catholic devotional tradition, not a biblical framework), many of its most memorable scenes, and the elevated role of Mary throughout the narrative.
We wrote a detailed breakdown of this source material in our companion article on the Dolorous Passion.
Four (of the many) Scenes That Show What Changed — and Why It Matters for the Sequel
If the original was based on a 19th-century mystic's visions rather than Scripture, what will the sequel be based on? The resurrection accounts in the Gospels are detailed and specific. Will the film follow them?
That question gains weight when you see how the original handled key moments. Here are four examples.
1. An Angel Replaced by Satan
In Luke 22:43–44, an angel from heaven appeared to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and strengthened Him. This is one of the most tender moments in all of Scripture — the Son of God in agony, and His Father sending supernatural comfort.
The film replaced this angel with Satan. A hooded, androgynous figure carrying a snake approaches Jesus while He prays. The visual effect is not one of comfort and strength — it is menace, temptation, and weakness.
This is not a minor creative liberty. It reverses the meaning of the scene. The Bible shows heaven reaching down to sustain Jesus. The film shows hell reaching up to torment Him.
2. The "I Am He" Moment — Completely Omitted
John 18:4–8 records one of the most dramatic displays of Jesus's authority in the entire Passion narrative. When the soldiers came to arrest Him, Jesus asked, "Whom do you seek?" They answered, "Jesus of Nazareth." He said, "I am he" — and the entire multitude fell backward to the ground.
This was not a handful of people stumbling. The text indicates a large group — including soldiers and officers — knocked flat by the power of His words. It is a moment that shows Jesus was not a victim being dragged away. He was in complete control, voluntarily laying down His life.
The film shows about six guards and skips this event entirely. One of the clearest demonstrations of Jesus's divine authority during the arrest simply does not appear.
3. Mary's Role — Elevated Far Beyond Scripture
From the moment of Jesus's arrest through His crucifixion, the Gospel accounts mention Mary the mother of Jesus exactly once — at the foot of the cross (John 19:25). This is not because she was unimportant. It is because the Gospel writers, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, chose to keep the focus on Jesus.
The film makes Mary a prominent figure throughout the entire Passion — following Jesus through the streets, sharing glances with Him, present in scene after scene. This expanded role is not drawn from Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. It is drawn directly from the Dolorous Passion and from Catholic Marian theology, which elevates Mary as a co-sufferer (co-redemptrix) in ways that go well beyond anything the Bible teaches.
For the sequel, this raises a direct question: what role will Mary play in the resurrection story? The Gospels do not place her at the empty tomb (that was Mary Magdalene and other women, depending on the account). Will the film follow Scripture, or will the source material once again expand her role?
4. Both Thieves Mocked — Then One Repented
Matthew 27:44 and Mark 15:32 tell us that both criminals crucified alongside Jesus initially mocked Him. Then something extraordinary happened: one of them had a change of heart. He rebuked the other thief, confessed his own guilt, and turned to Jesus with one of the most beautiful statements of faith in all of Scripture: "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom" (Luke 23:42).
This is the "three crosses" teaching — a picture of all humanity. One thief rejected Christ to the end. One repented and was saved. And Jesus, in the center, is the dividing line between the two.
The film shows only one thief mocking, which eliminates the repentance arc entirely. The moment of transformation — a guilty man turning to Jesus in his final hours and receiving the promise of paradise that day — is simply gone.
The Question Hanging Over the Sequel
Gibson has described The Resurrection of the Christ as "very ambitious," spanning from the fall of the angels through the death of the last apostle. He has talked about exploring hell, depicting angelic warfare, and creating something unprecedented in faith-based cinema.
That ambition is interesting. But it also raises the stakes. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important event in human history. The Gospel accounts of it are specific — who went to the tomb, what they saw, what the angels said, how Jesus appeared to His disciples, what He said to Thomas, how He cooked breakfast on the shore of Galilee.
If the original film drew so heavily from a source outside of Scripture, what will inform the sequel's depiction of angels, demons, hell, and the resurrection itself? Gibson has been open about wanting to show things that go far beyond what the text describes. Some of that may be powerful filmmaking. But Christians deserve to know where the Bible ends and the filmmaker's imagination — or other source material — begins.
That is not necessarily a reason to skip the film. It is a reason to prepare for it.
How to Prepare Before 2027
You have time. Use it well.
Read the resurrection accounts for yourself. (Explore our What's In Your Bible scripture comparison pages.) They are in Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20–21. Read them slowly. Notice the details. When the film arrives, you will be able to appreciate what it gets right — and recognize what it changes.
Listen to the ALIVE With Jesus podcast. We walk through these comparisons in a conversational format that makes it easy to follow along. Available on Apple Podcasts.
Get your copy of Passion for the Truth. This book does what no one else has done — a complete, scene-by-scene, verse-by-verse comparison of The Passion of the Christ against actual Scripture. Every scene. Every claim. Every departure. At 320 pages, it is thorough without being academic, and it is written for anyone who loves the Bible and wants to engage thoughtfully with how it is portrayed on screen.
When the sequel conversation starts — and it will, with $200 million and a Good Friday release — you will want to be the person in your church, your small group, or your family who has done the homework.
Get the Book
Passion for Truth by Steven and Stuart Hite is available now. Published by DayStar Publishing, 320 pages, paperback.
The biggest faith film event in 20 years is coming. The question is not whether you will have an opinion about it — everyone will. The question is whether your opinion will be informed by Scripture.
We think it should be.