Gibson’s long-awaited follow-up to his 2004 film, The Passion of the Christ, has cast Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen in the role of Jesus and Cuban actress Mariela Garriga as Mary Magdalene, according to a report by Variety.
Shooting for the movie — set to be released in 2027 as two separate films — reportedly started last week at Cinecittà Studios in Rome, Italy, where the main ensemble has been completely recast.
Notably, Ohtonen is replacing the 2004 movie’s original star, Outlander star Jim Caviezel, with Garriga taking the place of Italian actress Monica Bellucci.
Gibson’s original The Passion of the Christ — which would go on to become one of the largest-grossing independent films ever, earning $610 million at the global box office — was also shot at Cinecittà Studios.
A source close to the production told Variety, “It made sense to recast the whole film” due to events in the follow-up film taking place just three days after the original movie ended in what will be more than 20 years ago by the time the new production is released.
“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,” the source added.
Ohtonen, who is currently 36, is perhaps best known for his role as a warrior named Wolland in the fifth season of Netflix’s The Last Kingdom series. Garriga, who is the same age as her co-star, is known for her role as Marie in Mission Impossible films.
As for the other cast members, 46-year-old Polish-born actress Kasia Smutniak is replacing Maia Morgenstern as Mary, while 44-year-old Italian actor Pier Luigi Pasino, who stars in Netflix’s The Law According to Lidia Poët, is portraying Peter.
Pontius Pilate will be played by 45-year-old Italian actor Riccardo Scamarcio, with My Best Friend’s Wedding star Rupert Everett appearing in a small and unspecified — but important — role, Variety noted.
Australian producer Bruce Davey is reportedly working alongside Gibson on production of the upcoming Resurrection of the Christ films, which will also be shot in the ancient town of Matera in Italy’s southern region of Basilicata.
Other locations for the film include the ancient southern Italian town of Ginosa, the rural landscapes of Gravina Laterza, and the ancient city of Altamura, located in Italy’s southern Puglia region.
The Resurrection of the Christ Part One is set to be released by Lionsgate in theaters, with the first part coming out on March 26, 2027 — which will also be Good Friday — and the film’s Part Two being released 40 days later, on May 6, which will be 2027’s Ascension Day.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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