The Resurrection of the Christ films will triple the budget of the 2004 movie for an important reason. After years of development, Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ sequel is officially happening and being split into two installments. The first will be released on March 26, 2027, which is Good Friday, followed by the second on May 6, which falls on Ascension Day.
The long-awaited sequels have recast Jesus and Mary Magadelene, who were previously portrayed by Jim Caviezel and Monica Bellucci. Jaakko Ohtonen and Mariela Garriga will play Jesus and Mary Magdalene this time, with filming underway in Rome, Italy.
According to Deadline, each The Resurrection of the Christ movie will reportedly have a budget of $100 million, making for a combined total of $200 million, which is a rarity for an independent film project. This is a significant increase from The Passion of the Christ and its $30 million budget. It is also far larger than the budget of any other projects being sold at next month’s American Film Market.
The increased budget for the Mel Gibson-directed movie is allegedly due to the sequels featuring massive battles between angels and demons and other forces of good and evil. This lines up with previous comments Gibson made about wanting the movies to explore “the fall of the angels.”
Plot details remain under wraps, with even potential buyers not allowed to read the scripts ahead of next month’s American Film Market. However, the story is expected to continue after Christ’s crucifixion at the end of the 2004 film.
Battles between angels and demons and a far more substantial budget are among the many indicators that both The Resurrection of the Christ movies will be on an even larger scale than their predecessor and lean further into religious mythology.
The Passion of the Christ was controversial, but it went on to become an enormous box office success, grossing $610 million worldwide and $370 domestically against its $30 million budget. Making a profit could be more challenging for the sequels given the $100 million budget per film, and some buyers are reportedly disappointed about Caviezel not returning, but most are unconcerned, including one who says, “This one sells itself” and “It’s gold in terms of the material.”
The secrecy and blockbuster budgets do not appear to be deterring buyers and are only increasing the already high level of anticipation for both The Resurrection of the Christ movies. Both have the potential to become massive box office hits following their theatrical releases in 2027.