Randall Wallace says Mel Gibson delivered a stark spiritual warning before the longtime collaborators began writing The Resurrection of the Christ.
During an appearance on Raymond Arroyo’s Arroyo Grande podcast, Wallace recalled suggesting a feature-length exploration of Jesus’ Resurrection while he and Gibson were promoting Hacksaw Ridge in 2016.
Gibson agreed that the story deserved to be told but insisted the project could not be motivated by profit, resentment or a desire to answer critics. Wallace said Gibson then warned him, “Satan’s going to come after you.”
Wallace Suggested a Film About the Resurrection
Wallace told Arroyo that Gibson had considered the Resurrection for years. The original cut of The Passion of the Christ reportedly did not include the brief final sequence showing Jesus rising from the tomb, but Gibson added it after receiving feedback from viewers who wanted the story to continue beyond the crucifixion.
Wallace, who was not involved in writing the 2004 film, proposed expanding that moment into a complete story during the 2016 promotional campaign for Hacksaw Ridge. “The story that you really need to tell is the Resurrection,” Wallace remembered telling Gibson, according to Page Six.
Wallace had previously written Braveheart, which Gibson directed and starred in, and directed Gibson in We Were Soldiers. He also worked on uncredited screenplay revisions for Hacksaw Ridge.
Gibson Said the Sequel Could Not Be About Money
“If we do this, it can’t be for the money, and it can’t be to get back at people that have hated us or wronged us or been unhappy with us,” Wallace recalled Gibson saying. After Wallace agreed, Gibson issued the warning about Satan. Wallace initially responded with a joke that the devil “doesn’t really care about Baptists,” adding that Catholics were more desirable targets.
Although the comment prompted laughter during the interview, Wallace said he privately wondered whether Gibson could be right. The two men then had what Wallace described as a “beautiful conversation about grace.” Wallace proposed writing an initial draft that they could dismantle and rebuild together, sometimes working collaboratively and sometimes separately.
The Two-Part Production Took 134 Days to Film
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Gibson, Wallace and Gibson’s brother, Donal Gibson, spent roughly six to eight years developing and revising the story. Lionsgate credits Gibson and Wallace with the screenplay, with Donal sharing a story credit.
Principal photography concluded after 134 days across Italy, including locations in Rome, Matera, Bari, Ginosa, Craco and Brindisi. Gibson said the production represented a mission he had carried for more than two decades.
“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 in a statement reported by People.
Wallace Promises an Unfamiliar but ‘Orthodox’ Story
Wallace avoided revealing specific plot developments but said Gibson’s depiction of the spiritual realm would contain images and ideas audiences had not previously seen on screen.
He described the project as visually and narratively unconventional while maintaining that its treatment of the Resurrection would remain consistent with central Christian beliefs. “In many ways, it’ll be stuff nobody’s ever seen,” Wallace said. “And yet I believe it’ll be, in a certain way, the most orthodox telling.”
Ohtonen leads the new cast alongside Mariela Garriga as Mary Magdalene, Pier Luigi Pasino as Peter, Kasia Smutniak as Mary and Riccardo Scamarcio as Pontius Pilate. Rupert Everett also appears in the ensemble.
The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One is scheduled to open on Ascension Day, May 6, 2027. Part Two will follow on May 25, 2028, which also falls on Ascension Day.