Mel Gibson finishes filming "The Resurrection of the Christ"

Jaakko Ohtonen as Jesus in the film The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One. Photo: Elise Lockwood for Lionsgate.

American director Mel Gibson has completed filming "The Resurrection of the Christ", the long-awaited follow-up to “The Passion of the Christ”, reports The Christian Post.

Lionsgate studio announced that principal photography on the film, directed by Mel Gibson, wrapped ahead of schedule after 134 days of filming across Italy, including locations in Rome, Matera, Bari, Ginosa, Craco and Brindisi.

The film will be released in two parts. The first part will be released on May 6, 2027, and the second on May 25, 2028.

The studio called Gibson's new project "a film of extraordinary ambition that audiences worldwide have been waiting to experience for over 20 years". The director himself admitted that working on the film has become his life's work.

"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," Gibson stated.

According to the director, the new film will address not only the Gospel events after Christ's Resurrection, but also complex theological themes, including the struggle between good and evil, the fall of angels, and the origin of Satan.

The director also said that reuniting with colleagues from "The Passion of the Christ" helped bring the new story to the screen "exactly as I envisioned it."

"The Passion of the Christ," released in 2004, became one of the most successful religious films in the history of world cinema and grossed more than $600 million at the global box office.

As the UOJ reported, in June 2025, Mel Gibson visited the Hilandar Monastery on Mount Athos.

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