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The sequel to Mel Gibson's 2004 film, The Passion of the Christ, is set to begin filming in August, and Jim Caviezel has been going to C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters to prepare to reprise the role of Jesus.
The Resurrection of Christ is scheduled to be released in 2026, more than 20 years after the original.
Caviezel was recently on the Arroyo Grande show and said, "I'm not going to play Jesus, I need Him to play me."
The actor who is now 56-years-old will be digitally de-aged to portray a 33-year-old Jesus.
In the original film, Caviezel opened up about the physically grueling and spiritually taxing conditions. Between dislocated shoulders to hypothermia, and being struck by lightning while filming the Crucifixion scene, he said he felt the most pain. "I got shot right out of my body. I watched them trying to revive me … and then they brought me back, and then I felt the most pain."
The fluid that developed in his lungs, full-body infections, and two heart surgeries never deterred him from participating in the sequel. "You want me to play Jesus, don't you?" Caviezel recalled asking Gibson. "I'm in."
As he prepares for the role, he knows that it will be a spiritual battle. "This is a war."
The original film in 2004 was nominated for three Academy Awards and was the highest-grossing R-rated film in U.S. history.
Despite the success the movie saw, Caviezel said that Mel Gibson warned him when he accepted the role, saying that it could destroy his career. "If you do this movie, you may never work in this town again."
Caviezel said hearing that didn't change his mind in participating. "The world didn't like The Passion, and that's a good thing. So we did a good job."
Since the role, Caviezel has appeared in several faith-based films, including Paul, Apostle of Christ and Sound of Freedom, from Angel Studios. The actor said in a 2018 interview that he isn't going to leave his faith behind despite criticism from Hollywood.
"I'll be point blank with you, my industry has been around for a century, the Word of God has been around for thousands of years if you want to go back to Moses and Abraham. Am I the right guy [for the parts]? No, I never thought I was the right guy to play Jesus [either] but a friend of mine told me this, he said, 'God doesn't always choose the best, but He chose you, so what are you going to do about it?'"
Besides Caviezel, viewers will see Maia Morgenstern reprise her role as Mary and Francesco De Vito will return as Peter.