Mel Gibson reportedly scouting locations in Malta for his ‘Passion of the Christ’ follow-up, ‘The Resurrection’

Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

Mel Gibson is apparently scouting locations for The Resurrection, the follow-up to his 2004 blockbuster The Passion of the Christ.

This piece of news came from the Italian-language publication ItalPress, which reported the actor, producer and director has met with Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela and checked out locations on the island he governs, Malta.

The publication says Gibson is heading up an 11-member team in conjunction with the Malta Film Commission for the sequel, which will reportedly have Jim Caviezel reprising his role as Jesus Christ. According to ItalPress, also are on the docket for Gibson and company are locations in Morocco, Italy and Israel.

Co-written and produced by Gibson, The Passion of the Christ was for a time the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time — that is, before Ryan Reynolds put on his Deadpool suit back in 2016, a fact Reynolds in character specifically mentions in 2018’s Deadpool 2.

Gibson’s film earned more than $612 million against a budget of around $30 million.