Mel Gibson explains why it took so long to make a sequel to Released in 2004, Gibson's epic biblical drama, based on the New Testament, tells the story of Christ's crucifixion, starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus, Monica Bellucci as Magdalen, and Maia Morgenstern as Mary, among others. Recently, it was announced that the filmmaker has teamed up with Lionsgate on a long-awaited sequel, with filming expected to start in the summer.

In a panel with ScreenRant's Joe Deckelmeier at Fan Expo Philadelphia, Gibson shared the reason behind the wait for a sequel, The Resurrection of Christ. The filmmaker revealed that and it being "almost impossible" to understand. He also teased that . Read his comment below:

It took me about eight years to write the script for the sequel, if we can call that The Resurrection of Christ, because it's a very complex and almost impossible to understand subject, so that necessarily you have to underpin it with a great deal of all of salvation history and theology.

It was a very difficult thing to find and synthesize, because you have to understand, firstly, why it matters… You have to think, why is mankind so important in this process? Why are the big realms of good and evil slugging it up for the hearts and minds and souls of mankind? Why us? We’re just a bunch of f***ed up things. We’re imperfect. You have to ask yourself, why are we important? Why are we making the sandwich? That whole huge story. And I think in order to understand that, you have to, you have to start with the fall of the angels in the firmament, before right at the beginning, is pretty crazy idea, what did that look like? I know what it looks like. It’s not one film, it’s two films, because it’s massive.

Eight years ago, Gibson teased that he had begun working on a sequel to The Passion of the Christ. Back then, he explained that his movie doesn't tell the event of Christ's resurrection in a chronological manner, but rather the significance, history, and meaning behind it and . He also teased that the bad guys in the upcoming movies would be in another realm.

The director offers a glimpse into the philosophical aspect of the upcoming movie and its discussion of the theology of salvation. Gibson funded the production and marketing costs himself while making the 2004 biblical drama, which makes The Passion of Christ and its sequel . It seems that the eight years that he spent on the script weren't due to any financial or external obstacles, but were the length of the creative process.

In addition, Gibson is seemingly confirming that The Resurrection of Christ could be split into two movies. This is not the first time that this has been speculated, as . He said, "It will be the biggest film in history. It might be two films. Could be three, but I think it's two." While Lionsgate is partnering with Gibson on the sequel, it's still unclear if the studio greenlighted the project with two movies in mind. However, it wouldn't be surprising if that is the case, considering the original movie became a massive box office hit with $612 million.

Gibson's unique approach to biblical drama shines through in the 2004 movie. Despite Passion of the Christ attracting some level of controversy, the film is known for its vivid depiction of Jesus' suffering, which sets it apart from other films that tackle the same subject. It sounds like the next movie won't be a typical biblical drama about Christ's resurrection either, but rather . It may need the runtime to tackle those subjects in depth, which could explain the necessity for two movies.

In a separate interview, Gibson revealed that he planned on , which has been used in movies like Tom Hanks's Here and Harrison Ford's The Dial of Destiny. While the technology has received mixed reviews in the past and doesn't always yield a positive reception, judging from everything we've heard so far, The Resurrection of Christ, expected to arrive in 2026, still sounds like a very exciting title. On the other hand, the split movie plan only raises more intrigue about what Gibson has in store for the sequel.