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By Paul Bond
Chief Correspondent, Culture
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Mel Gibson has been working on a movie about the Resurrection of Christ for so many years that he's opened the way for competition, which may be coming from Dallas Jenkins, creator of The Chosen, the show about Jesus that has become one of the most popular series on TV worldwide.
Speaking to Newsweek ahead of a Hollywood-style "teal" carpet premiere in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Jenkins said that the sixth season of The Chosen coming in about two years will feature the Crucifixion, and a season later, Jesus is resurrected.
But he also said he might be making a Resurrection film with similar timing, thus in theaters in about three years and presumably starring Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus in The Chosen.
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"We're hoping also to potentially do a feature film within that whole storyline, so we've got some plans for that that we're developing now," Jenkins said of the Resurrection.
He wouldn't discuss the validity of rumors that he has discussed the idea with Gibson, saying: "Many people have wanted us to connect because we're the directors of big Bible projects."
Jenkins added: "Hey, if Mel Gibson wants to do a Resurrection sequel to The Passion of the Christ, I'll be there to see it, but I know it will definitely look different from mine.
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"Some of the things I've heard him say about heaven and hell, and that kind of a fever dream, that's more Mel's style than mine."
Gibson's film is tentatively titled, The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection, perhaps with a release date next year, though Gibson is mum on many details, including whether the Harrowing of Hell is a plot point.
The Harrowing of Hell that Jenkins refers to (also known as the Descent of Christ) involves the tricky question of what Jesus did, and where he did it, after his death and before his Resurrection.
Christian scholars have varying theories, but many Catholics—and Gibson is Catholic— believe that Christ descended into hell and perhaps interacted with Satan before rising from the dead three days after he was crucified.
The Passion of the Christ, released in 2004, told the story of the persecution and Crucifixion of Jesus, and, hitting $612 million at the box office worldwide on a $30 million budget, became the most successful R-rated film in history at the time. It was also one of the most controversial films of all time, with some calling it antisemitic.
Randall Wallace, who wrote the screenplay for the Oscar-winning film, Braveheart, which Gibson directed and starred in, wrote a first-draft of a script about the Resurrection about eight years ago, though it's possible Gibson has deviated from that rather significantly.
A spokesperson for Gibson told Newsweek on Wednesday that Gibson's film about the Resurrection is still in development.
Jim Caviezel, who starred as Jesus in The Passion of the Christ, is set to reprise the role for Gibson's Resurrection sequel.
Wednesday night's premiere is for a theatrical release next month of the first two episodes of The Chosen's Season 4, then the entire season heads to multiple streaming services.
Jenkins told Newsweek that at the conclusion of the premiere, he'll be flying back to Canada to continue working on a Lionsgate feature film based on The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, a 1971 children's novel written by Barbara Robinson.
Update, 1/17/2024 at 7:15 p.m. ET: The story was updated to include the status of Mel Gibson's film and the season of The Chosen that features the Crucifixion.
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