Mel Gibson’s The Resurrection of the Christ, the long-awaited sequel to the 2004 film The Passion of the Christ, has cast Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen in the role of Jesus, replacing original star Jim Caviezel.
Mary Magdalene, a role held by Monica Belucci in The Passion of the Christ will be played Cuban actress Mariela Garriga. Polish-born actor Kasia Smutniak will replace Maria Morgenstern as Mary.
Significant changes have been made to the film as production began last week at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios, with the main ensemble cast completely recast.
Italian actor Pier Luigi Pasino, known for his performance in Netflix Italy’s original series *The Law According to Lidia Poët, will portray Peter. Riccardo Scamarcio, who recently starred in Johnny Depp’s biopic has been cast as Pontius Pilate. Rupert Everett will also join the cast in a small but pivotal role, though his character has not yet been revealed.
Sources close to the production shared that the time-frame in which The Resurrection of the Christ takes place three days after Christ’s crucifixion and ti made sense to recast the whole film. They would have needed extensive CGI and digital effects — including de-aging — which would have been extremely expensive.
In April, 57-year-old Jim Caviezel hinted on the “Arroyo Grande” podcast that he was prepared to return to his iconic role as Jesus in the sequel. Meanwhile, 36-year-old Ohtonen, currently best known for playing the Dane warrior Wolland in season five of Netflix’s historical drama *The Last Kingdom*, has now taken on the role.
The Passion of the Christ, became one of the largest-grossing independent films of all time with a worldwide box office of $610 million. The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One is scheduled to premiere in theaters on Good Friday, March 26, 2027, followed by Part Two 40 days later on Ascension Day, May 6. Lionsgate will handle the theatrical release of both films.
