By KATE JOHNSON<\/p>\n
Mel Gibson\u2019s \u201cPassion of the Christ\u201d was released in 2004 and earned a whopping $600 million on a budget of $30 million. It was the highest grossing R-rated film in North America, according to FOX News.<\/p>\n
Fourteen years later, Gibson is working hard on the sequel.\u00a0 Little has been revealed about the sequel, but actor Jim Caviezel, 49, will be reprising his role as Jesus.<\/p>\n
Caviezel told USA Today<\/em>, \u201cI won\u2019t tell you how [Gibson is] going about it…. But I\u2019ll tell you this much, the film he\u2019s going to do is going to be the biggest film in history. It\u2019s that good.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPassion of the Christ\u201d ended with the Crucifixion and Gibson confirmed in late 2016 that the sequel will focus on the Resurrection, according to the Huffington Post.<\/p>\n Gibson told USA Today<\/em>, \u201cThe Resurrection. Big subject. Oh, my God.\u00a0 We\u2019re trying to craft this in a way that\u2019s cinematically compelling and enlightening so that it shines a new light, if possible, without creating some weird thing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPassion of the Christ\u201d was protested by Jewish and interfaith groups.\u00a0 The film was criticized for fueling antisemitism because it portrayed the Jewish people as responsible for the death of Jesus.<\/p>\n Most major news networks covering the sequel have not mentioned the negative opinions and protesting of the first film, but it was joked about on “The Weekend Update” for “Saturday Night Live.” Most coverage continues to be centered around the hype surrounding the film.<\/p>\n Gibson is no stranger to controversy himself.\u00a0 In 2006, two years after the release of \u201cPassion of the Christ,\u201d Gibson gained a lot of negative publicity across all major news media outlets after he was caught making anti-Semitic remarks during an arrest.<\/p>\n Gibson later apologized for his remarks.\u00a0 As time passes, it will be interesting to see how the upcoming sequel will be received by the public and covered by the press in light of this controversy.<\/p>\n Controversial or not, the sequel is highly anticipated, especially after Caviezel\u2019s claims that \u201c[the film] is going to be the biggest film in history.\u201d<\/p>\n The actor also told USA Today<\/em>, \u201cThere are things that I cannot say that will shock the audience . . . It\u2019s great.\u00a0 Stay tuned.\u201d<\/p>\n Furthering the suspense around the film, Randall Wallace, the screenwriter of \u201cPassion of the Christ,\u201d told the Hollywood Reporter<\/em>, \u201cThe Passion is the beginning and there\u2019s a lot more of the story to tell.\u201d<\/p>\n In an interview on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Gibson indicated that the sequel may not be in theaters until 2019 or 2020.\u00a0 As time progresses, given the continued popularity of \u201cPassion of the Christ\u201d and the publicity that the Resurrection sequel is already garnering, I am predicting another major blockbuster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By KATE JOHNSON Mel Gibson\u2019s \u201cPassion of the Christ\u201d was released in 2004 and earned a whopping $600 million on a budget of $30 million. It was the highest grossing R-rated film in North America, according to FOX News. Fourteen … Continue reading