Mel Gibson Just Set the Date for the Film He Called the Most Important Story in Human History

The Passion of the Christ made $610 million and broke Hollywood – and Mel Gibson did it without a single studio behind him.

He just announced when he's doing it again.

And the dates he chose tell you exactly what kind of film this is going to be.

Mel Gibson Sets Release Dates for the Most Anticipated Faith Film in a Generation

Lionsgate confirmed this week that The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One hits theaters on May 6, 2027.

Part Two follows on May 25, 2028.

Both dates land on Ascension Day – the Christian holiday marking Jesus' ascent into heaven forty days after the resurrection.

That's not a scheduling accident.

The announcement came alongside confirmation that filming has officially wrapped – 134 days of production across six cities in Italy – and the release of the first official image from the film.

Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen appears as Jesus, standing on a hilltop in white robes before a crowd of followers.

Gibson also delivered the statement his audience has been waiting twenty-two years to hear.

"This film represents a major part of my life's work, and it has demanded everything of me as a filmmaker and as an artist," Gibson said. "This is far more than a film to me."

The Story Gibson Says No One Else Would Tell

Gibson described the resurrection as the most challenging part of Christ's story – and the reason this film matters more than anything else he's ever made.

"Who gets back up three days later after he gets murdered in public?" Gibson said on Joe Rogan's podcast. "Buddha didn't do that."

He co-wrote the screenplay with Braveheart writer Randall Wallace – and the script goes far beyond a straightforward Gospel retelling.

"There's some crazy stuff," Gibson told Rogan. "In order to tell the story properly you have to start with the fall of the angels. You're in another realm. You need to go to Hell. You need to go to Sheol."

This isn't a Sunday school film.

Gibson is telling the full cosmic story – angels, demons, Hell, and the moment one man walked out of a tomb.

And he pointed to the apostles themselves as his evidence that the story is true.

Every single one of them died rather than deny what they claimed to have witnessed.

"Nobody dies for a lie," Gibson said.

What Comes Next

Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson said Gibson operates at a level almost no director can match – epic scale combined with emotional depth and conviction.

"Mel has crafted a film of extraordinary ambition that audiences worldwide have been waiting to experience for over 20 years," Fogelson said.

That's twenty years of waiting – and now there's a date on the calendar.

The Passion earned $610 million worldwide against a $30 million production budget Gibson funded himself after every major studio passed.

They called it unmarketable.

It became the highest-grossing independent film in history.

The same forces that fought that film will line up against this one.

Gibson isn't asking their permission.

May 6, 2027 – mark it down.

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Sources:

• Joe Kovacs, "Most important story in human history: Mel Gibson finishes filming Resurrection of the Christ," WorldNetDaily, May 25, 2026.
• "Release Dates for Mel Gibson's Resurrection of the Christ Announced," Catholic World Report, May 23, 2026.
• "Mel Gibson Unveils Resurrection of the Christ First Look, Delays Release Dates for Two-Part Biblical Epic," Variety, May 22, 2026.
• "Mel Gibson Unveils First Look at Resurrection of the Christ, Delays Release," Washington Times, May 22, 2026.
• "Mel Gibson talks Hollywood opposition to Passion of the Christ, says Gospels are verifiable history," Christian Post, January 11, 2025.
• "Mel Gibson Ready to Start Passion of the Christ Sequel," Hollywood Reporter, January 10, 2025.