Friday, 10 June 2016

Mel Gibson working on sequel to The Passion of Christ


The 60-year-old actor is set to join forces with screenwriter Randall Wallace to pen a follow-up to the biblical blockbuster, which hit screens in 2004 and starred Jim Caviezel as Jesus Christ and Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene.

Whereas 'The Passion of the Christ' depicted Jesus' crucifixion the sequel will focus on his resurrection. 

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Wallace said of the project: "I always wanted to tell this story. "The 'Passion of the Christ' is the beginning and there's a lot more story to tell."

The pair began to talk about the sequel to the original, which became the most successful independent movie of all time, while working on the forthcoming film 'Hacksaw Ridge' last year.

Wallace added: "The evangelical community considers 'The Passion...' the biggest movie ever out of Hollywood, and they kept telling us that they think a sequel will be even bigger."

However, the project, which is still in the early script stage, hasn't had any studio or financial backing as of yet but Wallace believes it's "too early" to discuss money or to approach big bosses.

He said: "It's too early to talk money. This is such a huge and sacred subject."

Meanwhile, rumours that a sequel was in the pipeline began to circulate last month when Gibson was pushed on the subject during a visit to Liberty University's graduation ceremony.

He expressed an interest in making the follow-up but refused to discuss further about his involvement in the project. 

'The Passion of the Christ' follows Jesus' final stage in life, depicting his visit to Jerusalem and his crucifixion, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.