Mel Gibson will begin filming the sequel to the controversial The Passion of the Christ in spring 2023

Mel Gibson’s controversial 2004 film The Passion of the Christ is slated to “start filming within the next few months.”

The Australian director and actor, 67, has mentioned on numerous occasions that the second film, titled ‘The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection’, is in the works – but now reports indicate filming could finally begin in spring 2023.

According to Newsmax, Jim Caviezel will return as Jesus, while Mel will direct.

Take two: Mel Gibson’s controversial 2004 film The Passion of the Christ is slated to “start filming within the next few months.”

Passion Of The Christ grossed a whopping $612 million worldwide on a comparatively small budget of $30 million, making it the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time at the US box office.

While the film was undoubtedly a financial success, Mel and his crew have weathered their fair share of negative critical reviews.

Some critics criticized the film for its excessive use of violence, while others claimed that the film deviated too dramatically from the biblical story on which it was based.

The film was also criticized by some viewers for depicting anti-Semitic themes.

Controversial: The Australian director and actor, 67, has previously mentioned on numerous occasions that the second film, titled The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection, is in the works – but now reports indicate filming could finally begin in spring 2023

It’s unclear if the 2004 film’s original stars Jim Caviezel and Monica Bellucci, who played Jesus and Mary Magdalene, respectively, will return.

A film about the resurrection of Christ entitled Risen was released in February and grossed $46 million worldwide on a budget of $20 million.

In September 2016, Mel confirmed Work has begun on a sequel to his 2004 film.

He revealed that work on the blockbuster has already begun and that Braveheart screenwriter Randall Wallace has already signed on for the project.

“Of course it’s a huge undertaking, and you know, it’s not Passion 2. It’s called The Resurrection,” Mel said during an interview with Pastor Greg Laurie at SoCal’s Harvest Crusade in California.

“Obviously this is a very big issue and it needs to be addressed because we don’t want to just portray it – you know, read what happened,” he explained.

“But to read it, experience it, and probably explore deeper meanings of what it’s about, it’s going to take some work, and Randall Wallace is up to the task.”

“Not only is he a brilliant writer, he is also a great director. He directed We Were Soldiers and Heaven Is For Real and stuff. So he’s a good writer and director,” added Mel.

Instructions: According to Newsmax, Jim Caviezel will return in the role of Jesus, while Mel will take the lead as director (Mel is pictured at right with Jim as Jesus).

Randall Wallace has spoken out about his desire to be in a follow-up film to Passion Of The Christ, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “I’ve always wanted to tell this story. The passion is the beginning and there is much more to tell,” he said.

The writer said they were interested because of the huge demand from religious followers, which helped make the original the highest-grossing independent film of all time.

He said, “The evangelical community considers The Passion to be the greatest movie of all time in Hollywood, and they’ve kept telling us they believe a sequel will be even bigger.”

Since hitting the big time in 2004, Mel has gone through many life changes, including splitting from his ex-wife Robyn Moore, to whom he was married for thirty years and with whom he shared seven children.

Mel was previously in a relationship with Russian musician Oksana Grigorieva from 2009 to 2010, with whom he shares his daughter Lucia, 13.

He then met his longtime partner Rosalind when she was signed to co-write a screenplay for his production company and they began dating.

It was first revealed in 2014 that he was in a relationship with Rosalind, a writer and former riding master, and he welcomed his ninth child, Lars, with her in 2016.

Winning: Passion Of The Christ has grossed a whopping $612 million worldwide on a comparatively small budget of $30 million, making it the top-grossing R-rated film of all time at the US box office (Mel picks up the 2005 People’s Choice award for the film).

The star’s career has recently seen a resurgence with Hacksaw Ridge, earning his first Oscar nomination in more than two decades.

Mel has previously spoken out about his sobriety, saying in 2016 that he has 10 years of sobriety under his belt as a member of Alcoholics Anonymous.

He has previously admitted that he spent many years with Alcoholics Anonymous and said he would not have survived otherwise.

“They call it the spiritual path for the psychopath. They say there are only three choices: you go insane, you die, or you quit. That’s the harsh reality. I’m an old hand at that,” he told Good Weekend at the time.

Lover: Since hitting the big time in 2004, Mel has gone through many life changes, including splitting from his ex-wife Robyn Moore, to whom he was married for thirty years and with whom he shared seven children (pictured with his wife Rosalind Ross in the year 2022).