Why Did Mel Gibson Replace Jim Caviezel as Jesus? Inside the Resurrection of the Christ Casting Decision

Mel Gibson is finally rolling cameras on his Passion follow-up, and here is the headline you probably did not expect: Jim Caviezel is not playing Jesus this time.

Why the switch?

Caviezel was originally expected to reprise the role, but Gibson decided to overhaul the entire cast. The big sticking point was age. Caviezel is 57. Most traditions put Jesus at around 33 at the time of the resurrection. You can solve that with digital de-aging, sure, but across a full performance it gets tricky fast. According to EW, Gibson chose to recast rather than lean on the tech.

So who is playing who now?

• Jaakko Ohtonen is stepping in as Jesus. He is a Finnish actor in his mid-30s, best known for playing Wolland in Netflix's The Last Kingdom.
• Mariela Garriga takes over Mary Magdalene from Monica Bellucci. You might recognize Garriga as Marie in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One and the upcoming Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning.
• Kasia Smutniak is Mary, the mother of Jesus.
• Luigi Pasino plays Peter, one of the apostles.
• Riccardo Scamarcio is Pontius Pilate, the Roman authority who oversaw Jesus's trial and crucifixion.
• Rupert Everett is also on board in a role that has not been revealed yet.

What the movie covers

The Resurrection of the Christ picks up with the events around Jesus's resurrection, traditionally believed to have happened three days after his death. It is the direct sequel to 2004's The Passion of the Christ, which focused on the arrest, trial, and crucifixion. That first film was a box office juggernaut: $370 million in the U.S. and $612 million worldwide.

Behind the scenes

Gibson is back in the director's chair and co-wrote the script with Randall Wallace. His company, Icon Productions, is producing, and Lionsgate will release the film in theaters. Cameras are already rolling in Rome.

The release plan is... ambitious

The Resurrection of the Christ is being split into two films, with both arriving in spring 2027. Part One is set for March 26, 2027. Part Two follows just a few weeks later on May 6, 2027. A two-part rollout that tight is uncommon, which suggests Gibson wants this to play like one big story rather than two widely separated chapters.