Mel Gibson takes stock of the sequel to The Passion of the Christ 20 years after the original

Mel Gibson has offered a major update on a sequel to one of his biggest films, 20 years after it was first released.

The Passion of the Christ was released in February 2004 and was surrounded by huge controversy at the time – the biblical drama followed the final 12 hours before Jesus’ death.

It starred Jim Caviezel in the lead role, alongside Monica Bellucci, Rosalinda Celentano and Maia Morgenstern, with Mel serving as writer, director and producer.

After this film became a huge box office success, grossing over $600 million worldwide, there was much talk about a possible sequel, titled: The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection and which would take place within a few days only after the original.

Although the project was reportedly launched in 2016, little has been shared about it since, but it was recently claimed that the 68-year-old was scouting locations.

Discussing his efforts in a new conversation with ComicBook.com, he explained how he could bridge the gap between the two films after more than two decades.

“I have ways to deal with this, because 20 years ago, it’s (supposed to be) three days later,” he coyly shared. “So it has its own particular set of problems, which I think I can solve.”

One issue Mel has to resolve for himself is whether he will focus on following up The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection before Lethal Weapon 5, or the other way around.

When asked what he plans to do first, the What Women Want actor admitted, “I don’t know, and that’s the funny thing.

“There are various obstacles to making a film successful, not just budgetary, but there are 1,000,001 reasons why something happens and why it doesn’t.

“It’s really kind of a crapshoot at this point, what goes first and what came first, whether it’s the chicken or the egg.”

Mel starred as Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon – alongside Danny Glover and Gary Busey – with the first installment of the beloved buddy cop franchise released in 1987.

Richard Donner was behind the camera on the first four films and was planning a sequel before his death in 2021.

After his death, Mel announced that he would take over as director for the untitled fifth film, but very few details have been confirmed since.

During an appearance on the Inspire Me podcast, he explained: “Richard Donner, who directed the other four, has sadly passed away and he was a good friend.

“He kind of charged me with carrying the flag home on this one, so it’ll be an honor for me to do that.”

“He had come a long way with the script, so we used what was there and kept refining it. I’m pretty happy with that.

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