Mel Gibson Sparks Fan Outcry for Recasting Jesus and Mary Magdalene Roles for Highly-Anticipated 'Passion of the Christ' Sequel — 'Blasphemous Work!'
Mel Gibson has come under fire for recasting Jim Caviezel in his 'Passion of the Christ' sequel.
Oct. 15 2025, Published 3:15 p.m. ET
Mel Gibson is giving Jesus a makeover, RadarOnline.com can report, and fans are not happy about it.
The actor/director has cast a new lead for his highly anticipated sequel to The Passion of the Christ, but fans of the original are expressing their passion for the original star.
Gibson has just started production on the long-delayed sequel.
Filming has just begun on The Resurrection of the Christ, Gibson's long-delayed follow-up to 2004's surprise smash The Passion of the Christ.
The new movie takes place three days after Christ’s crucifixion on Good Friday, but original star Jim Caviezel has been replaced by Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen in the title role.
It was initially hoped that the popular Caviezel, now 57, could return with some special effects, but the film production's 20-year gap made that too expensive.
"It made sense to recast the whole film," a source close to the production told Variety. "They would have had to do all this CGI stuff, all this digital stuff – de-aging and all that – that would have been very costly."
'A Big Mistake'
The original made over $600millon at the box office.
The 36-year-old Ohtonen is best known for his role as the Dane warrior Wolland in Netflix’s The Last Kingdom. The role of Mary Magdalene, initially played by 61-year-old Monica Bellucci, will now be played by 36-year-old Cuban actress Mariela Garriga, who played Marie in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning.
Passionate fans online were not pleased with the decisions.
"Recasting Jesus is blasphemous work," one person railed on X, as another added, "Mel Gibson is making a big mistake in excluding Caviezel. Is he preoccupied that years have gone by, and he doesn’t look immaculate?
"I think his experience in the first part will add a profound dimension to part II."
Critics Cry Out
Some critics questioned if Jaakko Ohtonen was right for the part.
One person asked about Ohtonen's personal faith: "He’s handsome, but is he holy? Mel, I am upset that you delayed the sequel for 21 years because you can't use Jim Caviezel."
Another suggested: "Mel Gibson should have cast a Jewish actor to play Jesus. And Jim Caviezel would have loved to revisit the Jesus role, with a proper digital de-aging, of course."
While one person compared the recasting to similar techniques in comic book movies.
"Good job, Mel. Now Jesus is like Batman," the critic complained. "Different actors, same role, same universe. Can’t wait for the third one, Jesus: No Way Home, where all the Jesus actors unite to hide the true tanned Jesus."
Production Delays
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After more than 20 years, Caviezel was deemed to old to play Christ.
Production on a sequel was also delayed after Passion of the Christ screenwriter Benedict Fitzgerald sued Gibson for fraud and breach of contract over the script for the religious blockbuster.
Fitzgerald alleged that, when approached by Gibson to pen the telling of the crucifixion of Jesus, the star claimed to be working on a limited budget.
The writer was paid $75,000 for his services, while claiming to have borrowed over $200,000 for his expenses. Passion went on to gross over $600million worldwide.
Fitzgerald said Gibson "took advantage of his unbridled enthusiasm for the project." The two eventually settled the suit for an undisclosed amount.
