It has been 20 years since Gibson's depiction of the last 12 hours of Jesus' life hit the big screen. Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus, is 57 now. Maia Morgenstern, who played his mother, Mary, is 63.
Plot details for "The Resurrection of the Christ" remain under wraps, but as the real story takes place days after crucifixion, a source close to the production told Variety it "made sense" to recast everyone.
Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen will play Jesus, and Kasia Smutniak will portray Mary.
The latter is raising some eyebrows, especially among Catholics, because in Smutniak's native Poland, she is a very vocal supporter of abortion.
Matt Yonke of the Pro-Life Action League understands the concern.
"I don't want to throw under the bus the Polish Catholics in the pro-life movement over there who raised the alarm about this in the first place, because I certainly do understand the actress herself being Polish, why that would be so distressing," he notes.
However, he does not share their concern.
"At the end of the day, [Gibson's] not hiring her to write theological essays," Yonke points out. "He's not hiring her to expound her positions on the abortion issue; he's hiring her to do a job, and that job is acting."
He remembers Jesus was and is a friend of sinners.
"I'm not afraid of sin, and I don't think Jesus was, either," the pro-lifer continues. "He entered into close company with prostitutes and tax gatherers, and that caused a great scandal in His own day. It doesn't seem to me like Mel is doing anything different here."
But he also knows Jesus was not content to leave sinners in their sin, and Yonke expects the mood on the set of "The Resurrection" will mirror what it was for "The Passion." He hopes that will have a life-changing effect on Smutniak.
"There was daily mass happening every day on set. The subject matter is being treated with a great degree of reverence. I would be surprised if the influence in this situation didn't go the other way," Yonke submits.
Production started last month at Rome's Cinecittà Studios, where Gibson also shot the 2004 original, which grossed $610 million worldwide and became one of the highest-earning independent films in history.
The new project, produced by Gibson and Bruce Davey under their Icon Productions banner with Lionsgate as studio partner, will be released in two parts in 2027.
