"The Passion of the Christ" director Mel Gibson has revealed his next project may be a sequel to the 2004 epic drama, which he may title "The Resurrection".
In a surprise appearance, Gibson told evangelist Greg Laurie at SoCal Harvest at Angel Stadium that he is working on a sequel to "The Passion of the Christ."
"We're talking about that. Of course, that is a huge undertaking," Gibson said. "And you know, it's not the 'Passion 2.' It's called 'The Resurrection.' Of course, that's a very big subject and it needs to be looked at because we don't want to just do a simple rendering of it - you know, read what happened."
Gibson's comments were made after Laurie asked him about the possible sequel, citing comments screenwriter Randall Wallace made to the Hollywood Reporter earlier this year.
"The Passion is the beginning and there's a lot more story to tell," Wallace, who most recently directed and co-wrote the 2014 faith-based drama "Heaven Is for Real", told the outlet back in June.
Gibson told Laurie that Wallace is "up to the task" of writing the second film: "He is also, as well as a brilliant writer, he is a great director. He directed 'We Were Soldiers' and 'Heaven is for Real' and stuff. So, he is a good writer and director."
Starring Jim Caviezel, "The Passion of the Christ" was a major commercial hit, earning a whopping $612 million worldwide on a $30 million production budget, making it the highest grossing religious film in history. The film also received three nominations at the 77th Academy Awards.
The "Braveheart" actor also shared how his new movie "Hacksaw Ridge", set to release in November, includes a number of faith elements. The film tells the true story U.S. Army medic Desmond Doss during World War II.
"Desmond Doss received the Congressional Medal of Honor for courage under fire. He was singular in that most guys who get the Medal of Honor, they do something in a split second and it's a decision that they do something courageous and heroic," Gibson said. "Desmond did what he did over and over and over again in different places in the Pacific. His greatest achievement was in Okinawa, where he saved a lot of men."
Gibson added, "Another interesting thing about Desmond was that he was a conscientious objector and he went into battle without a weapon as a medic and what he did was supernatural and He only did it through faith. He was armed only with his faith."
"Hacksaw Ridge" is Gibson's first directorial film since the success of "Apocalypto" and "The Passion of the Christ." With Andrew Garfield as the lead, the movie also stars Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Griffiths and Vince Vaughn.
