Cinema is unique in its ability to bring together groups of people who may otherwise not commune naturally. When The Passion of The Christ hit theaters in 2004, it was a monumental success, raking in more than six-hundred-and-twenty-three million dollars worldwide. The film was the most well-made and brutal depiction of the crucifixion ever committed to film. It is regarded as the most successful faith-based film of all time for many. It does what any great piece of cinema should do; it moves and makes us think. It challenges audiences to reconcile one of the most iconic images of our culture, a bleeding, tortured man nailed to a cross with a crown of thorns atop his head. The film also inspires the imagination in the realm of miracles, celestial beings, good and evil, and the meaning of loyalty, betrayal, and forgiveness.
For all these reasons and more, regardless of world view, we anticipate Mel Gibson’s next installment with curiosity, fear, love, excitement, pity, and shame; choose your emotion. According to actor Jim Caviezel who read a recent draft of the script, we’re in store for Mel Gibson’s magnum opus. The Empire Strikes Back of Christianity is apparently a masterpiece and must be seen to be believed.
While there isn’t much known about Gibson’s plans for the sequel (other than what the Bible tells us), a release date for an upcoming novel may be evidence of the film’s roundabout premiere near June 16, 2023, for a book called The Gospel According to Mel Gibson: Fact, faith and fantasy in The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection. The book is by Helen Bond, a celebrated professor of Christian Origins and the New Testament. While Satan only had a couple of cameos in Passion, it sounds like much of the film will take place in Hell, where we will likely be treated to Gibson’s interpretation of eternal suffering. This experience will likely put Clive Barker’s Hellraiser 2: Hellbound to shame. Horror hounds will surely flock to the theater for this nightmarish entry, which may shake some of the corny faith-based genre shackles loose, and give us a true cinematic spectacle that will give George Lucas a run for his money.
Updated June 2022: If you’re interested in The Passion of the Christ, you’ll be pleased to know we’ve updated this article with new info surrounding the sequel.
Noah is a Spin-Off
Ten years later, Paramount Pictures gave us Noah, directed by Darren Aronofsky, which clearly took many tonal cues from Passion. Not quite an Ewok Adventure spin-off, maybe more comparable to Solo or Rogue One. Certainly, an iconic character from the Bible, but possibly a lunatic, which the movie didn’t shy away from. Ironically, it did show angels in the form of stone creatures helping Noah on his journey, akin to what William Shatner had planned for Star Trek 5’s finale (but later scrapped), where we see Kirk and crew go up against the all mighty God in one of the franchise’s most divisive entries, 1989’s The Final Frontier.
When depicting angels or other biblical lore, filmmakers are often dealt a complex challenge. On the one hand, there’s a temptation to tap into a specific aesthetic for what God, an angel, or a demon may be. On the other hand, you may be attacking a faith-based audience’s intentionally unknowable sacred concept. Films are often careful to leave sacred icons vague so that a spiritualist can still be on board the narrative.
What Does God Need With a Starship?
Paramount Pictures
Still, there is a necessity in film to communicate an idea effectively, and textures of nature often appear as a kind of universal metaphor. It will not be surprising if celestial beings are represented by sentient trees or rocks in the sequel to The Passion of the Christ. Still, considering Mel Gibson’s instincts toward conventional wisdom, we may be in store for something more specific and potentially divisive. Gibson has seeded what some have interpreted as leanings toward embracing ancient alien theory. When discussing his plans for The Passion sequel on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2016, Gibson emphasized “another realm” that may or may not be isolated to the confines of hell. The talk was vague enough to invite cosmic purists to the table, allowing for a full-scale, no holds barred approach to the biblical mythology, which quickly invites cosmic speculation.
While unlikely, Gibson may have plans to show audiences God’s spaceship and the interworking of his laboratory. Some have cited Marvel’s approach to celestial beings, which are powerful aliens with longer life spans than humans. These beings sometimes mingle with earthlings, much like Zeus in Greek mythology.
Return of the Living Jesus Christ
Icon Productions
The resurrection and ascension into Heaven will surely be explored in the next chapter, which fans are eager to know Mel Gibson’s artistic plans for. Jesus could return in a picture-perfect form, possibly using de-aging techniques to achieve an idealized vision of Christ. The ascension into heaven could be accomplished with lots of light and over-exposure to leave the concept ambiguous enough to align with a faith-based experience. Alternatively, Gibson may embrace Jim Caviezel’s 18 years of aging to his advantage, showing a more rugged man who has returned from the dead, still bearing all his flesh wounds. This approach would surely inspire controversy, which Gibson is no stranger to, and could ignite passionate discourse between religious scholars and horror movie buffs alike.
Furthermore, should Gibson get technical with the ascension, he may lean more into a sci-fi approach involving celestial spaceships or even alien lords in majestic white robes. Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal comes to mind when the Skeksis merge with the Mystics, resulting in glowing godlike creatures called urSkeks. A visually imaginative take on God’s physical form and technology would surely excite genre fans but may alienate the faith-based target audience. It’s unclear at this point exactly how Gibson plans to bring it all to life, but the film is sure to be a smash hit regardless. We will surely keep our ears to the ground for news of the film’s production start date.
Overall, given the box office success of the first Passion of the Christ film, there’s no denying that a sequel could be equally successful. Tom Cruise’s latest outing, Top Gun: Maverick, has been so successful that its box office numbers are being compared to The Passion of the Christ’s 2004 performance. Both films did extremely well over multiple weekends, not just the opening.
Meanwhile, Caviezel has spoken out in the past that the first film may have affected his career negatively, but that’s not to say he wouldn’t return for an additional installment. Only time will tell as we await further updates surrounding the sequel.
