Mel Gibson met with a group of local nuns in Rome on Monday as he took time off from shooting his upcoming film Resurrection of the Christ in the city – after an outcry over the project moving forward with a new cast arose.
20 years after the release of his blockbuster Biblical drama The Passion of the Christ, Gibson, 69, is set to return with his long-delayed follow-up film.
While the original film, which is based on the last twelve hours of the life of Jesus Christ, starred Jim Caviezel, 57, as Christ, and Monica Bellucci, 61, as Mary Magdalene, they had to be recast due to the time difference – and that caused some fan backlash.
He adopted his trademark rugged style as he stepped out in the Italian capital earlier in the week.
He wore a crisp white shirt, dark jeans, black trainers and a tan Carhartt jacket over his trademark colours.
The Braveheart star looked every bit the off-duty hero as he strolled around Rome, picking up some groceries and even stopping for a laugh with a group of nuns outside a supermarket.
Mel Gibson met with a group of local nuns in Rome on Monday while taking some time off from shooting his upcoming movie Resurrection of the Christ in the city.
The Braveheart star looked every bit the off-duty hero as he strolled around Rome, picking up some groceries and even stopping to chat with a group of nuns outside a supermarket.
The highly anticipated sequel to Mel’s 2004 film is moving forward with a new cast, leaving fans fuming.
‘I understood the meaning of remaking the entire film. “They’ll have to do all this CGI stuff, all this digital stuff — de-aging and all that stuff — which will be very expensive,” a source close to the production told Variety.
The resurrection of Christ – which takes place three days after Jesus’ crucifixion on Good Friday – will star Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen, 36, in the role of Jesus.
Meanwhile, Cuban actress Mariela Garriga, 36, will play the role of Mary Magdalene.
Ohtonen is best known for playing the role of Woland in the historical drama The Last Kingdom, which is set during the Viking invasions of 9th and 10th century England.
Meanwhile, Garriga starred opposite Tom Cruise as Mary in the Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning films.
The choice to recast sparked outrage among fans, with one writing on X, “Recasting Jesus is blasphemy.”
‘Cavazeel must be destroyed. He has been talking about this film since 2012,” adds another of the actor, who is a devout Roman Catholic.
The highly anticipated sequel to Mel’s 2004 film, The Passion of the Christ, is moving forward with a new cast, causing fan outrage (Jim Caviezel is slated to be featured as Jesus Christ).
Gibson was seen on set with Caviezel in 2003
Someone else wrote, ‘I thought they would use Jim and use CGI to make him look younger.’
‘Should have kept Jim Caviezel. Wonder why he left the film. Maybe the script was too intense for him? Or asking for too much? I don’t know, but Caviezel’s return will make the film more powerful because you will have followed him since the first film.
‘They couldn’t have picked someone who at least looks like Jim Caviezel?’
Others wondered if the decision was made due to a ‘feud’ between the actor and Gibson.
‘What happened? what changed? Wasn’t Jim promoting this film all along? one fan wondered.
But some commentators understood that Caviezel’s age was the primary factor that required him – and other stars – to recast.
‘Now, it makes sense why the entire cast was replaced. De-aging is not only expensive. It’s also a complicated process,’ one fan wrote before sharing his belief in the sequel. ‘Gibson is a great director. He can still deliver a solid film with any actor.
‘I understood the meaning of remaking the entire film. A source said, ‘They’ll have to do all this CGI stuff, all this digital stuff – de-aging and all that stuff – which will be very expensive.’
Another poster read, ‘Love! Recasting is better than ‘de-aging’.
Other stars in the new cast include Polish actress Kasia Smutniak, 46, who previously starred in the TV show Domina. She will replace Maia Morgenstern as Mary, the mother of Jesus.
The Apostle Peter will be played by Italian star Pier Luigi Passino, who stars in Netflix’s The Law According to Lydia Poet.
Meanwhile, the role of Pontius Pilate will be played by Riccardo Scamarcio. The Italian actor recently led the biopic Modi, directed by Johnny Depp.
English actor Rupert Everett, 66, is also set to appear in the film and has an ‘unspecified small but important role’.
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