Gibson Set to Direct Sequel to The Passion of the Christ

Mel Gibson, producer of the blockbuster hit The Passion of the Christ, has recently confirmed signing Mel Gibson to direct the sequel. Newmarket Films and Gibson have been secretive about plans for a sequel ever since the original was snubbed at the Oscars. Along with the announcement of Gibson as the director, Mel Gibson also announced that the budget of the sequel would far exceed the budget of the original.

The Passion of the Christ II: The Return of J.C., the working title of the sequel, is set to begin filming later on this year. The film will be shot in parts of California, Nevada, and Uzbekistan, and will make extensive use of the newest technologies in special effects through a contract with Industrial Light and Magic.

Details of the sequel's premise are sketchy, but it has been confirmed that the opening scene of the film is set three days after the original's ending. It is unsure whether or not the missing period of time will be dealt with through flashbacks throughout the film, or if it will be left to the viewer's imagination as to what transpired during those seventy-two hours.

The popular film website, www.SomethingAwfullyRottenInTheTomatoes.com, was able to obtain a rough draft version of the screenplay. Butcher4Life, the editor at Something Awfully Rotten, laments that most of the script was lost due to an ink problem suffered by his fax machine when the screenplay was coming in, but he was able to save the first few pages of the script.

"It starts out, as one might expect, in a cave," Butcher4Life says, "but the twist is that it isn't the cave we expect. We soon meet a really fat Roman mercenary who has apparently kidnapped John the Baptist. They are about to throw John in a pit to fight a lion when Jesus, using his secretive mastery over the arts of divinity, breaks into the cave. The next scenes are filled with a pride of lions facing off with Jesus and John while Roman soldiers throw spears down into the pit. It sounds like it is going to be very exciting."