Mel Gibson’s ‘Resurrection of the Christ’ Casts New Jesus and Mary Magdalene

Mel Gibson is finally moving forward with his long-delayed sequel to 2004’s The Passion of the Christ.

The new film, called The Resurrection of the Christ, has cast Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen, known for The Last Kingdom, as Jesus. Ohtonen replaces Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus in the original movie.

Filming began last week at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios, where Gibson also shot the first movie over 20 years ago.

That original film went on to become one of the highest-grossing independent films ever, earning $610 million worldwide. The new movie will be split into two parts, with both scheduled for release in 2027.

Cuban actress Mariela Garriga, who appeared in the Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning films, will play Mary Magdalene.

Polish-born Kasia Smutniak will play Mary, replacing Maia Morgenstern, while Italy’s Pier Luigi Pasino will take the role of Peter. Riccardo Scamarcio, recently seen in the Johnny Depp-directed biopic Modì, will play Pontius Pilate. Rupert Everett is also part of the cast in a small but important role.

A source close to the production told Variety, “Because of the time frame in which ‘The Resurrection of the Christ’ takes place — three days after Christ’s crucifixion on Good Friday — 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.”

Jim Caviezel had suggested earlier this year on the “Arroyo Grande” podcast that he was ready to return as Jesus. However, Ohtonen, now 36, is stepping into the role. He is best known for playing the Dane warrior Wolland in the fifth season of Netflix’s historical series The Last Kingdom.

The film is being produced by Gibson, Bruce Davey, and Icon Productions, with Lionsgate as the studio partner. Like the original, the new movies will be historically accurate, using Aramaic, Hebrew, and Latin.

Gibson described the scripts as an “a*** trip” and said he had “never read anything like” them. The story is expected to focus on Jesus’ resurrection, though other plot details are being kept secret.

The Resurrection of the Christ Part One will hit theaters on Good Friday, March 26, 2027, while Part Two will release 40 days later on Ascension Day, May 6.

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