On Thursday, May 15, Lionsgate announced that it is officially partnering with Mel Gibson for his highly anticipated film “The Resurrection of the Christ.”
Lionsgate is the studio that brought audiences the films “Jesus Revolution,” “I Can Only Imagine,” “The Unbreakable Boy,” “Ordinary Angels,” Unsung Hero,” and “I Still Believe,” and the studio will also bring next year’s release of “I Can Only Imagine 2.”
In a press release, Lionsgate said:
Multiple Oscar-winning director and producers Mel Gibson and Bruce Davey, and their Icon Productions banner, have chosen Lionsgate to be the studio partner on the highly anticipated motion picture “The Resurrection of the Christ,” the follow-up to their landmark 2004 film “The Passion of the Christ,” which until last year was the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time domestically.
Despite having a production budget of only $30 million, an R-rating, and being primarily filmed in Aramaic, “The Passion of the Christ” gathered more that $610 million at the box office globally.
“For many, many people across the globe, ‘The Resurrection of the Christ’ is the most anticipated theatrical event in a generation,” Adam Fogelson, chair of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said.
Fogelson added, “It is also an awe-inspiring and spectacularly epic theatrical film that is going to leave moviegoers worldwide breathless.”
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Fogelson described Gibson as “one of the greatest directors of our time” and said that this “project is both deeply personal to [Gibson] and the perfect showcase for his talents as a filmmaker.”
“My relationship with Mel and Bruce dates back 30 years,” he said, “and I am thrilled to be partnering with them once again on this landmark event for audiences.”
