Mel Gibson begins filming ‘The Resurrection of the Christ,’ replaces Jim Caviezel with new actor as Jesus

Mel Gibson (right) directs actor Jim Caviezel in ‘The Passion of the Christ.’ | 20TH CENTURY FOX

Filming has begun on Mel Gibson’s long-awaited sequel to “The Passion of the Christ,” titled “The Resurrection of the Christ,” with Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen taking over the role of Jesus from Jim Caviezel.

According to Variety, production started last week at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios, where Gibson also shot the 2004 original, which grossed $610 million worldwide and became one of the highest-earning independent films in history.

The new project, produced by Gibson and Bruce Davey under their Icon Productions banner with Lionsgate as studio partner, will be released in two parts in 2027.

Cuban actress Mariela Garriga (“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning”) will portray Mary Magdalene, replacing Monica Bellucci. Kasia Smutniak (“Domina”) will play Mary, previously portrayed by Maia Morgenstern. Peter will be portrayed by Italian actor Pier Luigi Pasino (“The Law According to Lidia Poët”), and Riccardo Scamarcio (“Modì”) will take on the role of Pontius Pilate. Rupert Everett will appear in a “small but important role,” according to producers.

Because the sequel takes place three days after Christ’s crucifixion, the production opted for an entirely new cast.

“It made sense to recast the whole film,” a source close to the production told Variety. “They would have had to do all this CGI stuff — de-aging and all that — that would have been very costly.”

In April, Caviezel said on the “Arroyo Grande” podcast that he was ready to reprise his role and revealed he was turning to C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters for spiritual preparation.

Ohtonen, 36, is best known for his portrayal of the warrior Wolland in season five of Netflix’s historical drama “The Last Kingdom.”

Gibson co-wrote the new film with “Braveheart” screenwriter Randall Wallace and described the sequels as “an acid trip,” adding that he had “never read anything like” the scripts. While plot details remain under wraps, the story will focus on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

“The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One” is slated to open on Good Friday, March 26, 2027, followed by “Part Two” on Ascension Day, May 6, 2027. In addition to Cinecittà’s new Studio 22, filming will take place in the ancient southern Italian city of Matera and other nearby locations, including Ginosa, Gravina, Laterza and Altamura.

The original “Passion of the Christ,” filmed in Aramaic, Hebrew and Latin, depicted the final 12 hours of Jesus’ life and became a landmark in faith-based cinema. The sequel aims to pick up where that story left off at the dawn of the resurrection.

In a 2022 interview with CP, Gibson revealed he’s drawn to stories that highlight redemption and the need for a Savior.

“I’ve been taught from a young age that we’re flawed, and you’re going to make mistakes,” he reflected. “We’re broken, and we need help. Usually, the best way to get help is to ask for it. And well, who do we ask? We’re asking something better than us. And the minute you acknowledge that there is something better than you, you might get something that resembles humility, which is really the key to the whole thing.”

He encouraged the next generation to “stick” to their “convictions” even though it’s “hard” in an increasingly polarized society.

“Sometimes you’re presented with choices or put in places that are very difficult, and some of those choices are hard,” he said. “You just have to examine your own conscience and take the right road, I think. … There’s no right way; there are a million wrong ways, and you just have to eliminate those or just use your best discernment to get through it.”

“But it’s hard, man,” he added. “Life’s hard. But we’re all going. We’ve all got a boulder we’re dragging.”