A big problem for Mel Gibson: after all, he is very soon preparing to film the sequel to his scandalous film Passion of Christ, the director needs to quickly find new actors to play the roles of Jesus and Mary Magdalene.
According to Page Six, Jim Caviezel and Monica Bellucci, who played the roles in the 2004 film, will not return for the sequel, contrary to the original plan.
“Ils [Gibson et ses producteurs] are currently meeting with the actors in Rome, a source told Page Six.
“There would have been too much work to do with the original actors in terms of digital effects and scheduling,” another source said.
“There has been a lot of discussion about this,” added one of the two sources, indicating that the film has been in production for several months.
Mel Gibson announced earlier this year that he would begin filming this fall in Rome. Resurrection of Christcontinuation of his scandalous film Passion for Christreleased over 20 years ago. The feature film will be divided into two parts and will be released in the spring of 2027.
In an interview given National Catholic Register in 2022, the 69-year-old actor and director emphasized that Resurrection of Christ will not offer a linear story and will have a “somewhat sci-fi dimension”.
“I think to tell this story well, you have to start with the fall of the angels, which means we are in another place, in another world. We have to go to hell,” he said.
Launched in 2004, Passion of Christ told about the last 12 hours of the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Highly controversial (some viewers called it anti-Semitic), the film was still a huge success at the box office, grossing nearly $700 million worldwide.
