Washington DC [US], May 22 (ANI): Actor and filmmaker Mel Gibson has unveiled the first look at his long-awaited biblical epic 'The Resurrection of Christ', the sequel to the 2004 blockbuster 'The Passion of the Christ', according to People.

Lionsgate shared a glimpse of the upcoming film and confirmed that production has officially wrapped after 134 days of filming across several locations in Italy, including Rome, Bari, Ginosa, Craco, Brindisi (Torre Guaceto) and Matera.

The studio also announced that the sequel will be released in two parts. Part One, initially scheduled for March 2026, will now release on May 6, 2027, while Part Two will arrive on May 25, 2028. According to Variety, both films are set for release on Ascension Day, the Christian holiday commemorating the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven.

'I'm deeply grateful to my incredibly talented cast and crew for pouring their hearts into this production. Together, we created something powerful,' Gibson said in a press release, according to People.

'This film represents a major part of my life's work, and it has demanded everything of me as a filmmaker and as an artist. This is far more than a film to me,' he added. 'It's a mission I've carried for over 20 years to tell what I believe is the most important story in human history.'

Gibson further said that reuniting with several collaborators from The Passion of the Christ helped bring his vision to life.

'Reuniting with many of my original collaborators from The Passion of the Christ -- true masters of their craft -- allowed us to bring this story to the screen exactly as I envisioned it, with the tremendous support of my longtime partners, Adam [Fogelson] and the team at Lionsgate,' the director said, according to People.

The upcoming films feature a cast including Jaakko Ohtonen, Mariela Garriga, Pier Luigi Pasino, Kasia Smutniak, Riccardo Scamarcio and Rupert Everett.

The original The Passion of the Christ, directed by Gibson and starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus Christ and Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene, became a global box office success upon its release 21 years ago.

The film earned Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography, Best Original Score and Best Makeup at the 77th Academy Awards in 2005. Lionsgate stated that the film opened to USD 83 million domestically and eventually grossed USD 370 million in North America and more than USD 610 million worldwide.

A retelling of the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ's life, The Passion of the Christ remains the second-highest-grossing R-rated film in North America, behind 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine.

Gibson had earlier hinted that the sequel would go beyond a straightforward resurrection narrative.

'It's a huge subject, and it's not a linear narrative,' Gibson told Raymond Arroyo, host of The World Over on EWTN, in 2022. 'You have to juxtapose the central event that I'm trying to tell with everything else around it in the future, in the past and in other realms, and that's kind of getting a little sci-fi,' according to People. (ANI)