Mel Gibson announces ‘acid trip’ sequel to ‘Passion of the Christ’
Controversial director aims to shoot resurrection-themed movie ‘next year sometime,’ with a de-aged Jim Caviezel resuming role of Jesus; 2004 film was seen by some as antisemitic
American filmmaker Mel Gibson said Thursday that he is planning an “acid trip” sequel to his 2004 film “The Passion of the Christ,” a hit among evangelical Christians that was panned by many Jewish viewers for its depiction of their forefathers as active participants in Jesus’ crucifixion.
Speaking on the popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Gibson said he hoped to re-cast “Passion” star Jim Caviezel as Jesus for “The Resurrection of the Christ,” and to start filming “next year sometime.”
He added that he would use de-aging tricks, which are “so good now,” to bridge the gap between the twenty years Caviezel has aged and the three days said to have elapsed from Jesus’ death to his reappearance.
Gibson, notorious for an antisemitic rant in 2006 when arrested for drunk driving, said he had already written the script for the long-planned sequel, together with Randall Wallace, who penned Gibson’s 1995 Oscar-winning epic “Braveheart,” and Wallace’s brother Donal.
“It’s an acid trip,” said Gibson, “I’ve never read anything like it.”
The actor-producer later said that while recording the podcast in Texas, he learned his Los Angeles home had burnt down amid the California wildfires.
“The Passion of the Christ,” directed by Gibson, was a box office smash — making a total of $612 million on a budget of $30 million.
It is the highest-grossing religious film in movie history and was nominated for three Academy Awards.
Many Jewish viewers were disgusted not only by the violence depicted in the movie, but by the active role that Jews are depicted as having in Jesus’ crucifixion. Jewish priests are shown as forcing an ambivalent Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, into nailing Jesus on the cross.
AFP and JTA contributed to this report.
