- Mel Gibson's The Resurrection of the Christ wrapped 134 days of filming in Italy
- The film will be released in two parts, with Part One on May 6, 2027, and Part Two on May 25, 2028
- Both films will premiere on Ascension Day, a Christian holiday commemorating Jesus' ascension
Mel Gibson has dropped the first look at The Resurrection of the Christ, his long-awaited follow-up to the 2004 biblical drama The Passion of the Christ. Lionsgate has shared the first look at the upcoming film and confirmed that production has officially wrapped after 134 days of shooting across multiple locations in Italy, including Rome, Bari, Ginosa, Craco, Brindisi, and Matera.
The studio also revealed that the project will be released as a two-part film. Alongside unveiling the first glimpse of the movie, filmmaker Mel Gibson confirmed the revised release schedule for both films.
The Resurrection of the Christ Part One is now set to release on May 6, 2027, after being pushed back from its earlier March 26 release date.
Meanwhile, Part Two has been delayed by a year and will now arrive on May 25, 2028, instead of its previously planned May 6, 2027 release. According to a report by Variety, both films are scheduled to premiere on Ascension Day, the Christian holiday commemorating the ascension of Jesus into heaven.
“I'm deeply grateful to my incredibly talented cast and crew for pouring their hearts into this production. Together, we created something powerful,” said Gibson, as per the Variety report. He added, “This film represents a major part of my life's work, and it has demanded everything of me as a filmmaker and as an artist. This is far more than a film to me. It's a mission I've carried for over 20 years to tell what I believe is the most important story in human history.”
Mel Gibson also shared that reuniting with several collaborators from The Passion of the Christ played an important role in bringing his vision for the new film to life.
“Reuniting with many of my original collaborators from The Passion of the Christ — true masters of their craft — allowed us to bring this story to the screen exactly as I envisioned it, with the tremendous support of my longtime partners, Adam [Fogelson] and the team at Lionsgate,” the director said.
The upcoming films feature a cast of Jaakko Ohtonen, Mariela Garriga, Pier Luigi Pasino, Kasia Smutniak, Riccardo Scamarcio and Rupert Everett.
The Resurrection of the Christ serves as the sequel to The Passion of the Christ, which starred Jim Caviezel as Jesus of Nazareth and Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene. The original film focused on the final 12 hours leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Released in 2004, the film became one of the most successful independent films of all time, earning more than $610 million worldwide against a reported $30 million budget. The film opened to $83 million domestically and eventually grossed around $370 million in North America alone.
The biblical drama also received three nominations at the 77th Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Makeup. It remains one of the highest-grossing R-rated films in North America, behind Deadpool & Wolverine.