Mel Gibson’s follow-up to his 2004 hit religious film, The Resurrection of Christ, is encountering a significant hurdle before its expected release in cinemas in 2026. After winning two Oscars and receiving critical acclaim as a director prior to the underperformance of his action thriller Flight Risk at the 2025 box office, Gibson has suggested that his sequel to The Passion of the Christ might turn into a two-part production. The Passion of the Christ garnered approximately $612 million at the global box office on a budget of $30 million, making it the fifth highest-grossing film of 2004.
In the upcoming religious epic titled “Zero A.D.“, scheduled for release in December 2025, Jim Caviezel is set to play Herod and reprise his role as Jesus from “Resurrection of the Christ“. Similarly, Maia Morgenstern and Francesco De Vito, who portrayed Mary and Peter respectively in “The Passion of the Christ“, are also expected to return for “Resurrection“. Keeping key cast members, particularly the lead actor, is often critical for a movie sequel’s success. However, a more than 20-year gap between the two films does raise some noteworthy apprehensions.
Resurrection Of The Christ Is Expected To Bring Back Jim Caviezel As Jesus With De-Aging CGI
Gibson Will Use The Same De-Aging Tech Used In Scorsese’s The Irishman
In a January 2025 interview on The Joe Rogan Experience, Gibson revealed his intention to cast Caviezel once more as Jesus in Resurrection of the Christ. He also mentioned during this conversation that he would need to employ certain modern methods, specifically CGI and de-aging effects, which have grown increasingly convincing in film and television over time. For instance, Apple TV+’s Lady in the Lake has produced incredibly realistic depictions of actors like Natalie Portman.
It seems that with the probable return of Caviezel, Morgenstern, and De Vito, it appears that the upcoming Gibson production of The Resurrection of Christ might heavily depend on advanced de-aging effects. While some viewers may find de-aging technology distracting at times, they may grow accustomed to it as it continues to advance with remarkable outcomes. This is what we anticipate for The Resurrection of Christ, as suggested by Collider. It’s worth noting that the film will reportedly employ the same de-aging technology used in Martin Scorsese’s 2019 movie, The Irishman, which generally received positive feedback from audiences.
De-Aging Jesus Is A Challenge For The Passion Of The Christ 2
It Will Have To Avoid Becoming A Distraction That Will Ruin The Film
Progress in de-aging CGI has been substantial and can be truly remarkable, but it remains challenging to execute flawlessly, particularly when dealing with motion. Given the scope of Gibson’s proposed project, it’s expected that the cost will be high due to this complexity, as evidenced by The Irishman‘s budget of $160 million.
In other words, since Mel Gibson’s upcoming movie is set three days after the events of The Passion of the Christ, and it requires significant de-aging effects for Caviezel throughout, the success of this de-aging technology will greatly influence the success of the sequel. Given that The Passion of the Christ didn’t need such de-aging, there’s a possibility that it might be harder (or costlier) than Gibson currently expects.
Resurrection Of The Christ Will Likely Still Be A Big Hit
Caviezel’s Last Faith-Based Movie Was A Surprise Box Office Hit
Regardless of any new difficulties that may arise, it’s likely that The Resurrection of Christ will continue to draw significant box office earnings. Given its predecessor’s success, anticipation for its performance is high. However, it might not surpass the record-breaking box office of The Passion of the Christ, particularly if Mel Gibson decides to split the story into two parts, as he did with his Horizon project. Learning from Kevin Costner’s experience with his two-part Horizon series might be beneficial for Gibson. Nevertheless, recent faith-based blockbusters like Sound of Freedom (starring Caviezel) and The Chosen have fared well at the box office, which bodes well for The Resurrection of Christ.
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2025-05-25 13:47