Mel Gibson is taking the story of Jesus Christ beyond the earthly events described in the Gospels in his long-awaited sequel to The Passion of the Christ. The filmmaker recently revealed that The Resurrection of the Christ will explore supernatural realms, including Hell and the period before creation, as it examines the events surrounding Christ’s resurrection.

“You’re going to different realms, of course,” Gibson told The Christian Post. “I mean, you’ll be in the firmament before the creation. You’ll be in the Hell of the just, and then you’ll be in the Hell of the damned.”

Gibson said the story will move between different settings rather than remain confined to events on Earth. “So it jumps around a little bit,” he explained. “It doesn’t just stay on the planet here. It gets around.”

The director said the films will primarily follow the events after Jesus’ crucifixion while also exploring subjects that are not fully described in Scripture, including the fall of angels and the origin of Satan. Gibson pointed to the Gospel accounts as a starting point, noting that they do not record every detail of Jesus’ life and ministry. He cited the Gospel of John, which says that many other things Jesus did were not written down.

Gibson said those gaps allow him to consider what may have surrounded the events recorded in the Bible. “One can look at these things and go, ‘I wonder what was around that?’ and try and analyze those things and make suppositions about what might have been,” he said. He added that his intention is not to contradict traditional Christian doctrine but to expand on the biblical story and give audiences a different perspective on the events surrounding the resurrection.

The project will be released in two parts, with Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen taking over the role of Jesus from Jim Caviezel, who starred in the original film. The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One is scheduled to arrive in theaters May 6, 2027, with Part Two set for May 25, 2028. The first installment's release date coincides with Ascension Day, the Christian observance commemorating Jesus’ ascension into Heaven.

The scale of the production is also substantially larger than that of its predecessor. The Passion of the Christ, released in 2004, was produced for approximately $30 million and went on to earn more than $610 million worldwide. Reports have placed the combined budget for the two new films at approximately $200 million, reflecting the expanded scope of Gibson’s project.

“Of course, we had more funding to play with, so you have more toys, more tools, and you’re able to do bigger and better things with it,” Gibson said.

The original film focused on the final hours of Jesus’ earthly life, depicting His arrest, trial, scourging, and crucifixion before concluding with the resurrection. It earned three Academy Award nominations and became one of the most commercially successful religious films ever made. It returned to theaters nationwide from September 10-17 in a newly remastered 4K release that also included an exclusive behind-the-scenes preview of the sequel.

Despite the supernatural elements and expanded production, Gibson has said the central message of the new films will be one of hope. The story will also follow Christ’s disciples after the resurrection, showing the difficulties they faced as they spread the Gospel.

“It wasn’t all beer and Skittles for the apostles; they had to go through some stuff, but they triumph,” Gibson said.

He hopes audiences will leave the theater with a sense of the significance of Christ’s resurrection and the message of the story. “It should be inspiring, uplifting,” Gibson said. “And I hope that the audience can see and feel that, that it was worth it.”