"The Resurrection of the Christ" from Mel Gibson Lands with Lionsgate

The sequel to "The Passion of the Christ" will launch production this summer in Italy.

Lead actor Jim Caviezel portrays the Jesus character in a scene from the 2004 hit movie "The Passion of the Christ. Image: Icon Pictures/screenshot from YouTube.

Filmmaker Mel Gibson has struck an agreement to partner with Lionsgate on his highly anticipated film The Resurrection of the Christ. This is the director's follow-up to the 2004 blockbuster The Passion of the Christ, which is the all-time highest grossing movie in the Christian genre, with a global box office take of $610 million on a budget of just $30 million.

As with the first movie, Gibson will direct the sequel and American actor Jim Caviezel will play the role of the Savior. The title makes clear, and we previously reported, the story will focus on Jesus' Resurrection and what followed.

The 69-year-old director knows Lionsgate well, having worked with the company on two of his previous movies - Hacksaw Ridge (2016) and Flight Risk (2025) - and he praised them for their "innovative spirit" and "can-do attitude," calling the studio a "perfect distributor" for the new movie, according to Variety magazine.

"I know the clever ingenuity, passion, and ambition the entire team commits to their projects and I'm confident they will bring everything they can to the release of this movie."

Filming is scheduled to begin in August at Cinecitta Studios in Rome, and other locations will include the town of Matera in southern Italy. There is no word yet on when The Resurrection of the Christ will release, but Christian Film Blog will follow developments and bring them to you as we get them.