Passion of the Christ 2 and 3 release dates announced by Mel Gibson

Back in May, Lionsgate announced that The Passion of the Christ 2's title will be The Resurrection of the Christ.

That week, returning director Mel Gibson teased that the film's script by Oscar-winning Braveheart screenwriter Randall Wallace was "very complex" after almost a decade of working on it.

The Hollywood star said: "It's not one film, it's two films, because it's massive."

At the time, it wasn't clear if this was just Gibson being hyperbolic, but now the studio has confirmed release dates for two back-to-back movies.

In a new teaser, it was announced: "THE RESURRECTION OF THE CHRIST Parts One and Two - coming to theaters Spring 2027. PART ONE, Good Friday - March 26, 2027. PART TWO, Ascension Day - May 6, 2027.

Jesus actor Jim Caviezel is returning to the role he played over 20 years ago and admits he's taking on the follow-up, which will digitally de-age him, despite it being his "greatest fear". The storyline will follow the Son of God into the spiritual realms for the Harrowing of Hell.The "crazy acid trip" movie will span the entire Bible from the fall of Satan prior to creation in Genesis to the Apostle John's vision of the Second Coming in Revelation.

Mel Gibson, who is shooting the two films in Italy this month, said: "Lionsgate's brave, innovative spirit and nimble, can-do attitude have inspired me for a long time, and I couldn't think of a more perfect distributor for The Resurrection of the Christ. I've enjoyed working with Adam and the team several times over recent years. I know the clever ingenuity, passion, and ambition the entire team commits to their projects and I'm confident they will bring everything they can to the release of this movie."