Mel Gibson has outlined his plans for a long-awaited sequel to The Passion of the Christ, the movie he directed which attracted huge audiences after its 2004 release.
It grossed one billion Australian dollars at the worldwide box office on a budget of just A$45 million.
The sequel will have a much bigger budget.
Gibson told podcaster Joe Rogan he hopes to start filming on The Resurrection of the Christ “sometime next year.”
“There’s a lot required because there’s some crazy stuff in the script. I’ve never read anything like it.”
“In order to tell the story properly you have to start with the fall of the angels. You’re in another realm. You need to go Hell. You need to go to Sheol.”
In the Hebrew Bible, Sheol is the underworld place of stillness and darkness after death.
Mel Gibson indicated he is even planning to feature Satan.
“You’ve got to have his origin. I have ideas about how to do that and how to evoke things about to depict that.”
“I’ve been thinking about that for a long time. It’s going to require a lot of planning. I’m not sure I can pull it off.”
“It’s super ambitious, but I’m going to take a crack at it.”
“It’s about trying to find a way that’s not cheesy or obvious. It’s almost like a magic trick.”
“The story goes from the fall of the angels to the death of the last apostle.”
The director said original Passion star Jim Caviezel will once again play Jesus.
He conceded the actor might require some de-aging CGI special effects as it’s been two decades since the original film, but only three days have passed in the story.
Mel Gibson revealed he’s been working on the script for seven years along with his brother Donal and Braveheart writer Randall Wallace.
He suggested the dialogue will most likely be in English instead of Aramaic or Hebrew as this story’s concepts are rather difficult to understand, and having actors speak in another language might be a step too far.
The director added that he personally believes the resurrection actually happened.
“Every single one of those apostles died rather than renounce their belief, and nobody dies for a lie,” he said.
He admitted part of his faith in the Bible stems from his beliefs in helping him get sober.
The Hollywood star had a public fall from grace after a drink driving arrest in 2006, during which he was recorded making anti-Semitic comments.
“I don’t think it’s any secret that I’m flawed in my nature. I did drugs, I did alcohol. And there was nothing that could stop me from doing that.”
“That I was able to appeal to someone beyond myself helped me stop doing that. For me, that was a miracle.”
He has been scouting filming locations in Malta, Morocco and Israel.
49-year-old Jim Caviezel has confirmed he will reprise his role as Jesus.
“There are things that I cannot say that will shock the audience. It’s great. Stay tuned.”
“But I’ll tell you this much: The film Mel’s going to do is going to be the biggest film in history. It’s that good.”
