NEED TO KNOW
Mel Gibson has filled out the cast for his sequel to The Passion of the Christ, and one of the choices is causing controversy.
The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One, Gibson’s long-awaited follow-up to his 2004 blockbuster biblical drama, has cast Jaakko Ohtonen as Jesus of Nazareth, Mariela Garriga as Mary Magdalene and Kasia Smutniak as Jesus’ mother Mary.
Smutniak, a Polish-Italian actress and activist, supports the Strajk Kobiet (Women’s Strike) movement, which campaigns against Poland’s strict abortion laws. She has shared outspoken social media posts on the issue.
Supporters of Poland’s anti-choice Law and Justice party (PiS) have written to Gibson’s Icon Productions banner in protest of her casting, according to Variety, citing Polish media outlets.
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PEOPLE has reached out to Smutniak’s talent agency for comment. However, when Variety contacted her publicist, he told the outlet that he was not aware of the protest.
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Gibson, 69, began production this summer on The Resurrection of the Christ. The Oscar-winning actor-director joins Randall Wallace as co-writer of the sequel.
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The Passion of the Christ starred Jim Caviezel as Jesus and Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene. Earlier this month, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Caviezel and Bellucci were not returning in their roles. That retelling of the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ’s life drew inspiration from the New Testament of the Bible and Anne Catherine Emmerich’s The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The follow-up will chronicle Jesus’ resurrection.
In January, Gibson — a vocal conservative and supporter of President Donald Trump — was named one of Trump’s “special ambassadors” to Hollywood along with actors Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voight. The Braveheart star’s gun rights were restored this April after he lost them over a 2010 domestic violence incident.
Lionsgate is planning to release The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One on March 26, 2027, with Part Two to follow 40 days later on May 6, 2027. Following his direction of Flight Risk earlier this year, Gibson has Hunting Season and The Canyon among his upcoming acting projects.
