Passion of the Christ 2 new Jesus star announced by Mel Gibson as Jim Caviezel dropped

It's been over 20 years since The Passion of the Christ stormed the box office.

Original Jesus star Jim Caviezel had been gearing up to reprise the role in Mel Gibson's long-awaited sequel, but has now been dropped.

According to insiders, it would have been too costly to digitally de-age the 57-year-old for Passion of the Christ 2 and 3, which are titled The Resurrection of the Christ Part 1 and 2.

Now Gibson has cast 36-year-old Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen (The Last Kingdom) as Jesus instead.

He'll be joined by Cuban actress Mariela Garriga (Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning), replacing Monica Bellucci's Mary Magdalene.

Additionally, Variety reports that Kasia Smutniak has been cast as Mary, Pier Luigi Pasino as Peter, Riccardo Scamarcio as Pilate and Rupert Everett in a cameo "important role." Filming began last week at Rome's Cinecittà Studios 20 years on from where The Passion of the Christ was shot. The two films will include Christ's Harrowing of Hell in what Gibson describes as an "acid trip" of an epic penned by Oscar-winning Braveheart scribe Randall Wallace.

The Resurrection of the Christ Part One hits cinemas on March 26, 2027 (Good Friday) and The Resurrection of the Christ Part Two follows on May 6, 2027 (Ascension Day).