10 Christian films coming to theaters, streaming services in 2021
1. 'The Passion of the Christ: The Resurrection'
The sequel to the 2004 blockbuster release “The Passion of the Christ” is scheduled for a 2021 release and although few details have been shared, the film will center around the resurrection of Christ.
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Last year, actor and director Mel Gibson shared updates about the sequel, telling Stephen Colbert of "The Late Show" that the film will be called "Resurrection."
"It's not just some chronological telling of just that event. That could be boring, and you think, 'Oh, we read that,'" Gibson told Colbert of what to potentially expect from the sequel. "But what are the other things around it that happened?"
Gibson hinted that the movie might feature characters visiting other realms. He said he teamed up with "Braveheart" screenwriter Randall Wallace to work on "Resurrection."
The filmmaker said the film was three years in the making because "it's a big subject."
While "Passion" focused on Jesus' last hours before His graphic crucifixion, "Resurrection" aims to explore the three days in between Jesus' death and his return to life.
"It's more than a single event, it's an amazing event," the director said about the film's title. "And to underpin that with the things around it is really the story, to enlighten what that means."
"What happened in three days? ... I'm not sure, but it's worth thinking about. Get your imagination going," he added.
Gibson has talked about "Resurrection" a number of times. Back in 2016, he told Pastor Greg Laurie at SoCal Harvest that he was indeed working on the long-awaited sequel.
"It's going to take some time because you don't half do something like this," Gibson told Pastor Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, in a separate interview. "You do it so that it makes sense. You do it so that it surprises. You do it so that it enlightens."
He also hinted in the interview that the sequel would explore some deep theological questions.
"It has to be dug deep for and it has to have, in its image and its sound and its visual, it has to be able to delve to places that people have never even thought before, I think, on a theological level."
Actor Jim Caviezel has also talked about the sequel and will be reprising his role as Jesus. A release date has not been announced.
The first installment of “The Passion of the Christ” earned a staggering $612 million worldwide. With a production budget of just $30 million, the commercial success was the highest-grossing faith-based film in history.
The film received three Oscar nominations at the 77th Academy Awards but was awarded none.
