Mel Gibson is reportedly preparing a sequel to his 2004 film The Passion of the Christ.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Gibson is working with Oscar-nominated Braveheart screenwriter Randall Wallace to pen the sequel, which will tell the story of Jesus’s resurrection.
“I always wanted to tell this story,” Wallace told THR. “The Passion is the beginning and there’s a lot more story to tell.”
Gibson and Wallace most recently worked together on the upcoming World War II drama Hacksaw Ridge, which the former directed and the latter co-wrote. The pair reportedly began working on the Passion sequel in earnest while filming Ridge.
Wallace told THR that the recent success of faith-based films at the box office, coupled with demand from Christian moviegoers, convinced he and Gibson to make the sequel.
“The evangelical community considers The Passion the biggest movie ever out of Hollywood, and they kept telling us that they think a sequel would be even bigger,” Wallace told the outlet.
The original Passion, starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus, set numerous records upon its release in 2004. It is among the most successful independent films of all time, having taken in $612 million in worldwide box office receipts on a production budget of just $30 million. It is the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time in the United States, according to Box Office Mojo.
The film is reportedly still in very early stages, with no studio or major investors yet involved.
A representative for Gibson did not immediately return Breitbart News’ request for comment.
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum