See Mel Gibson’s new Jesus in “The Resurrection of the Christ” first look

Key Points

• Lionsgate launched the first look at The Resurrection of the Christ.

• Jaakko Ohtonen replaces Jim Caviezel as Jesus.

• Part one of the two movies will premiere on May 6, 2027.

He has risen.

On Thursday, Lionsgate marked the finish of filming on Mel Gibson‘s The Resurrection of the Christ by releasing the first look at the long-awaited follow-up to 2004’s The Passion of the Christ.

In the above picture, Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen formally steps in as Jesus, taking up the position from original star Jim Caviezel. EW beforehand reported that Caviezel, 57, would have wanted to be de-aged for the film, which is about three days after Christ’s crucifixion on Good Friday, and so recasting was the simpler possibility.

Additionally, the half of Mary Magdalene, initially portrayed by Monica Bellucci, is now being performed by Mariela Garriga, the Cuban actress recognized for costarring in each Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Onand and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.

“I’m deeply grateful to my incredibly talented cast and crew for pouring their hearts into this production. Together, we created something powerful,” Gibson mentioned in a press release. “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. This is far more than a film to me. It’s a mission I’ve carried out for over twenty years to tell what I believe is the most important story in human history. Reuniting with many of my original collaborators from The Passion of the Christ — true masters of their craft — allowed us to bring this story to the screen exactly as I envisioned it.”

The Resurrection of the Christ can be launched as two movies: Part One opens in theaters on Ascension Day, May 6, 2027, and Part Two will observe on the subsequent Ascension Day, May 25, 2028.

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Produced and financed by Gibson for $30 million, Passion of the Christ grossed $610 million at the worldwide field workplace. Until 2024, it was each the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all-time in the US and the highest-grossing impartial movie. The Lethal Weapon star beforehand mentioned the script for the sequels is an “acid trip.”

“I’ve never read anything like it,” I told Joe Rogan final yr. “There’s some crazy stuff. In order to tell the story properly you have to start with the fall of the angels. You’re in another realm. You need to go Hell. You need to go to Sheol.”

He continued, “You got to have his origin. I’ve been thinking about that for a long time. It’s going to require a lot of planning. I’m not sure I can pull it off. It’s super ambitious, but I’m going to take a crack at it… It’s about trying to find a way in that’s not cheesy or obvious. It’s almost like a magic trick. [The story] “Goes from the fall of the angels to the dying of the final apostle.”

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