Mel Gibson’s THE RESURRECTION OF THE CHRIST Hits the Set

Published: October 27, 2025

By Mallory Mattingly

Mel Gibson’s newest film, THE RESURRECTION OF THE CHRIST, has begun filming in Italy and is set to be one of the biggest budgeted films ahead of America’s Film Market next month.

There is no official plotline for the film, but part 1 will be released on Good Friday (March 26, 2027), and part 2 will follow 40 days later on Ascension Day (May 6, 2027).

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Deadline did confirm that “sources close to the project” said the film will include “battles between angels and demons and forces of ‘good and evil’ in other realms, which probably goes some way to explaining the big budget.”

Several buyers spoke with Deadline and discussed the film.

This one sells itself,” one buyer said. “It’s gold in terms of the material. Just look at how well the first one did. We’re expecting it to be very competitive. People are ready to write big checks.”

According to Variety, Gibson has completely included all new actors for THE RESURRECTION OF THE CHRIST.

The role of Mary Magdalene will be portrayed by Cuban actress Mariela Garriga. “Polish-born actor Kasia Smutniak will replace Maia Morgenstern as Mary; Peter is being played by Italy’s Pier Luigi Pasino.” Lastly, “the Pontius Pilate role will be played by Italy’s Riccardo Scamarcio.”

While many people are upset that the original cast won’t be returning, a source told Variety that “it made sense to recast the whole film. They would have had to do all this CGI stuff, all this digital stuff — de-aging and all that — that would have been very costly.”

In May, CBN News shared an update on the film.

“The big thing that Mel Gibson is saying is that it took him eight years to even write this script, and that he has spent a ton of time on it. It’s not just a simple project that’s going to pick up where the last one left off. There’s a lot to consider,” CBN’s Billy Hollowell revealed.

“And for my skeptical friends watching this, one of my favorite parts about all this is that it isn’t just some sort of religious play—this really happened,” Hallowell shared. “You might be watching and think, ‘Oh my gosh, the resurrection of Jesus? I’m a skeptic. I follow the science.’ But when you stack up all the evidence, what makes the most sense is that Jesus of Nazareth really did rise from the grave. That, to me, is the most important fact in the history of the world. To have a big-budget film telling that story is really exciting.”

Stay tuned for more information about THE RESURRECTION OF THE CHRIST as it draws closer to the 2027 release date.

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