Posted on 09/06/2026 10:58:49 AM PDT by DFG
With his 2004 box office hit “The Passion of the Christ” returning to theaters this month, Mel Gibson says the long-awaited follow-up will be a broader exploration of the world surrounding the biblical account of Jesus’ resurrection.
“The Passion of the Christ” will return to theaters nationwide for a limited one-week engagement from Sept. 10-17. The landmark biblical epic has been newly remastered in 4K for the re-release and will include a behind-the-scenes sneak peek at “The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One,” which is slated to hit theaters May 6, 2027.
First released in 2004, “The Passion of the Christ” starred Jim Caviezel as Jesus of Nazareth and depicted the final 12 hours of Christ’s life, including his trial, crucifixion and resurrection. The film became a cultural phenomenon, earning three Academy Award nominations and holding the distinction of the highest-grossing domestic R-rated film for 20 years.
Gibson’s two-part follow-up — which stars Jaakko Ohtonen as Jesus — will take audiences well beyond the events depicted in the original film, including depictions of Hell, fallen angels and the origin of Satan.
“You're going to different realms, of course,” Gibson told The Christian Post. “I mean, you'll be in the firmament before the creation. You'll be in the Hell of the just, and then you'll be in the Hell of the damned. And so it jumps around a little bit. It doesn't just stay on the planet here. It gets around.”
Gibson said “Resurrection,” which primarily follows the events after Jesus’ crucifixion, will seek to explore elements not fully detailed in the Gospels.
“If you look at the synoptic Gospels and they are synoptic, which means they don't tell you everything,” Gibson said. “And even John says, ‘Y’know, hey, there were many other things [Jesus] said and did which, if they were to be written down, couldn't fill all the libraries of all the world,’ right? So there's a lot of stuff that wasn't written and the Gospels are synoptic.”
Rather than ignoring them, Gibson said he used those gaps as an opportunity to explore possibilities while remaining within traditional Christian teaching.
“One can look at these things and go, ‘I wonder what was around that?’ and try and analyze those things and make suppositions about what might have been,” he said. “Not to go against anything in orthodox teaching but to enhance, I think, what's there for everyone to see and hopefully they'll be surprised by some of those revelations.”
With only a roughly $30 million budget, “Passion” ultimately earned more than $200 million at the box office, becoming the most successful R-rated film of all time. Gibson’s two-part follow-up, however, is expected to cost about $200 million, or $100 million per film, even without the backing of a major Hollywood studio.
Gibson said the larger production allowed the filmmakers to expand their visual approach. “Of course, we had more funding to play with, so you have more toys, more tools, and you're able to do bigger and better things with it,” he said.
The two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker also said the story will not focus exclusively on the resurrection itself, but rather will examine what happened afterward, including the experiences of Jesus’ followers.
“I think that these films will be even more of an inspiring nature, because you get to see all the happier bits, and then not so happy bits,” he said. “I mean, it wasn't all beer and Skittles for the apostles; they had to go through some stuff, but they triumph, and so it should be inspiring, uplifting.
“And I hope that the audience can see and feel that, that it was worth it.”
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
Jaakko Ohtonen is from Finland.
Max Von Sydow was from Sweden. He played Jesus in “Greatest Story Ever Told” and the Devil and “Needful Things”.
This will be interesting to see.
The firmament? Uh oh, I hope Mel doesn’t go flat earth on us.
“The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world”
“What do you think you’re looking at, sugar tits?”
Great actor and director and those are some wild ramblings!
How about letting that go? He admitted it was drunken ramblings and has recanted them.
🙄
Uh oh, sounds unscriptural.
Guess we’ll find out
Are you actually suggesting the apostles did not have access to beer and Skittles?...
What does “firmament” mean?
The Hebrew word translated firmament is raqiaʿ (רָקִיעַ). It conveys the idea of something spread out, stretched out, or an expanse.
In Genesis 1, God separates:
Waters below the firmament — the seas and waters on Earth
Waters above the firmament
The firmament itself, in which the heavenly lights are placed
Genesis 1:14–17 says that God placed the sun, moon, and stars “in the firmament of heaven.”
So when the Bible speaks of the firmament, it is describing the heavens/sky above the earth, rather than necessarily teaching that there is a literal solid dome over us.
But doesn’t “firmament” sound like a solid structure?
Yes—and this is where there is an important distinction.
The KJV’s word “firmament” comes from the Latin firmamentum, which can give the impression of something firm or solid. The Hebrew raqiaʿ, however, can also mean an expanse or something that has been spread out.
Consequently, modern translations often translate Genesis 1:6 as:
“Let there be an expanse between the waters…”
rather than “firmament.”
Hell of the just the theological concept of the temporary abode of the righteous who died before the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, also known as the limbus patrum (limbo of the fathers) or Abraham’s bosom.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lEZq9a1ZpE&t=52),
(https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07207a.htm),
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrowing_of_Hell)
If we’re putting dodgy theology into the film, might as well show us Purgatory.
There isn’t and wasn’t ‘hell of the just’, there was Abraham’s bosom for the just and hell for the rest. Luke 16:19–31. Until Christ’s death and descent into hell. The prisoner’s were brought forth.
Makes total sense to me. However, literal translators see the earth as some kind of disc with an ocean above and below. All space travel is fake.
That's what the "hell of the just" refers to, as in "He descended into hell." The temporary, neutral resting place of all human souls who died before Christ, the hell of the just was viewed as a place of peaceful waiting or rest (often associated with Abraham's bosom).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.