By MSGR. JOHN MYLER

The mega-hit 2004 film THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST from director / producer / actor Mel Gibson will be followed in 2024 by THE RESURRECTION, also to be directed by Gibson.

Filming is scheduled to begin in the next few months, with Jim Caviezel again as Christ and Maia Morgenstern as Mary.

Gibson – whose PASSION was controversial in part because of its brutality – has explained why it’s taken twenty years to develop THE RESURRECTION:

“THE PASSION” is the beginning; there’s a lot more story to tell. THE RESURRECTION is more than a single event, it’s an amazing event – with many amazing things happening! So of course, the Resurrection is a very big subject – and we don’t want to do just a simple rendering of it, but to explore deeper meanings of what the Resurrection is about, to experience it.”

In the holy Gospels, Christ’s Resurrection is the central event of the entire faith – but it is also quite limited in description. Speculation is that Gibson, a self-acknowledged traditional Catholic, will focus on Christ’s “descent into hell” and “otherworldly battles” between His death and new life.

The highly-anticipated “sequel” has been rumored for some time.

Gibson has said that in the first film, “There are 126 minutes of the Passion and about 25 seconds of the Resurrection.”

The 2024 film should give the filmmakers an opportunity for some faith-based creativity.