The Resurrection of the Christ: Release Date, Cast and Family Guide

Mel Gibson's The Resurrection of the Christ is now set to open in theaters on May 6, 2027 (Ascension Day), with a second film, Part Two, following on May 25, 2028. Lionsgate moved both dates in May 2026. Part One was first booked for Good Friday, March 26, 2027. Jim Caviezel is not returning as Jesus: Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen plays him in a fully recast sequel to The Passion of the Christ (2004).

This guide pulls together what has been confirmed so far, what has not, and what a parent, youth leader or church movie-night host should know before planning around it. We checked the studio-reported details in Deadline's May 2026 report and the other sources listed at the bottom on November 1, 2026. Release dates in Hollywood move, so treat everything here as current to that date.

When is The Resurrection of the Christ released?

• Part One: May 6, 2027, which is Ascension Day, the day Christians mark Jesus' ascension.
• Part Two: May 25, 2028, also Ascension Day, and Memorial Day weekend in the US.
• Earlier plan: Part One on March 26, 2027 (Good Friday) and Part Two on May 6, 2027. Deadline reports the studio felt those dates were too close together for productions of this scale. Johnny Depp's *Day Drinker* took the March 26, 2027 slot.
• Where: Lionsgate releases the films in North America (US and Canada) and the UK. Icon Productions releases them in Australia and New Zealand. Other countries go through local distributors named in the same Deadline report.

No streaming date has been announced for either film. For the first run, plan on theaters.

Who is in the cast?

Gibson directs from a script he wrote with Randall Wallace. Deadline lists the principal cast as Jaakko Ohtonen (Jesus), Mariela Garriga (Mary Magdalene), Pier Luigi Pasino (Peter), Kasia Smutniak (Mary, mother of Jesus), Riccardo Scamarcio (Pontius Pilate) and Rupert Everett. The whole cast of the 2004 film has been replaced, and a source close to the production told Variety that because the film is set three days after the crucifixion, "it made sense to recast the whole film."

Principal photography is finished. According to Deadline, the shoot ran 134 days across Rome, Bari, Ginosa, Craco, Brindisi and Matera in Italy.

What is the story about?

The studio has kept the plot under wraps. What is on the record comes mostly from Gibson and press reports. He has described the project as "an acid trip" and as very ambitious, and Deadline notes it is expected to include the fall of the angels and Christ's descent into hell. The Resurrection itself is central, as the title says. Because details are thin, the safest approach for families is to wait for reviews that describe the finished film.

You can see the tone Gibson is aiming at in the original: The Passion of the Christ is a graphic, R-rated film. It returned to US theaters for a limited run from September 10 to 17, 2026, with a behind-the-scenes sneak peek of the sequel, according to Aleteia.

Is it appropriate for kids and teens?

There is no official answer yet. We found no MPA rating or runtime in the studio announcements or press coverage we read, and ratings normally arrive close to release. What we can say with confidence:

• The first film was rated R. The Passion of the Christ, per Wikipedia's film page, became the highest-grossing R-rated film in the US at the time, with $370.8 million.
• A resurrection story is not automatically gentler. The material about hell and fallen angels suggests the new film may include frightening imagery even if the crucifixion violence is not repeated.
• Parents know their own child best. Once the rating is published on FilmRatings.com, read the rating reason alongside a faith-focused review from a source your family trusts, and preview the film or its trailers before taking younger children.

For now, if your children want an Easter story today, our Easter movie watch list is a better starting point, and Risen (2016) tells the days after the resurrection through a Roman officer's eyes.

Planning a church or youth-group outing

A trip to a theater is the simple way to see it together, and group ticketing is usually available through the cinema. A group booking is a purchase of tickets, not a screening, so no extra license is involved. Showing the film later in your own hall is different: it needs a public performance license even when it is free, which we cover in our guide on whether you need a license to show a movie at church and our church movie night checklist.

Practical timing tips:

• Mark May 6, 2027 loosely. Dates have already moved once. Wait for a confirmed trailer and ticket on-sale before booking a venue or buses.
• Pair it with a discussion. Ascension Day and Easter fall close together, which makes late spring a natural time for a series. Our biblical accuracy ranking of Bible movies is a helpful companion when the group wants to compare film and Scripture.
• Plan for two films. The story is split across two releases a year apart, so a "watch night" will not tell the whole story in one sitting.

What else is coming in 2027?

If you are following faith films on the big screen, our update on The Chosen: Season 6 covers the Season 6 finale, which reaches theaters in March 2027, a couple of months before this film.

Sources

• Deadline, "Lionsgate Shifts The Resurrection Of The Christ Release Dates; Part Two Moves To 2028" (May 2026): new dates, cast, shoot details, distributors
• Deadline, report on the film's American Film Market sales (October 2025): scale, fall of the angels, descent into hell
• Variety, report on the recast of The Resurrection of the Christ (October 2025): reason for the recast
• Aleteia, "Gibson's Passion back in theaters now" (October 2026): September 2026 re-release and sneak peek
• Wikipedia, The Passion of the Christ and The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One (R rating and box office; cast list cross-check)