Mel Gibson Wraps 7-Month Resurrection of the Christ Shoot
Mel Gibson finished principal filming on The Resurrection of the Christ in early May 2026 after a 7-month shoot. The two-part biblical epic now moves from production to release planning, with a spring 2027 theatrical rollout aimed at Good Friday and Ascension Day.
From 2004 to 2027
The project is Gibson’s sequel to The Passion of the Christ, the 2004 film that grossed more than $600 million worldwide. That history makes the new release a theatrical bet with unusually clear commercial precedent, especially for audiences that turned the original into a global phenomenon.
Gibson co-wrote the screenplay with Randall Wallace and produced the film with Bruce Davey. He also directs the sequel, which stretches across 2 parts rather than arriving as a single feature, a shift that signals a wider release strategy than the one used on the earlier film.
Cast Across Italy
The cast includes Jaakko Ohtonen as Jesus Christ, Mariela Garriga as Mary Magdalene, Maia Morgenstern returning as Mary, Mother of Jesus, and Riccardo Scamarcio back as Pontius Pilate. Rupert Everett and Kasia Smutniak are also in the ensemble. The film was shot in Italy and uses Aramaic, English, Hebrew, and Latin dialogue.
Gibson spent 22 years developing the sequel, and that long runway ends with a finished production and a release window built around the Christian calendar. For theaters, the key variable now is how a 2-part faith film with a familiar title performs after a 2004 predecessor that crossed $600 million; for audiences, the next real milestone is the spring 2027 opening.
