Mel Gibson Compares His Upcoming 'Passion of the Christ' Sequel to an 'Acid Trip': 'There's Some Crazy Stuff'

Mel Gibson called his much-delayed sequel to 2004’s Biblical blockbuster The Passion of the Christ a non-linear "acid trip."

During a receent appearence on Joe Rogan’s podcast, the actor-turned-director said production on the film — which has been in development since 2016 — could begin shooting as soon as 2026.

“I’m hoping next year sometime. There’s a lot required because it’s an acid trip,” Gibson said, adding that he’d “never read anything like” the script he wrote alongside Randall Wallace.

“My brother and I and Randall all sort of congregated on this. So there’s some good heads put together, but there’s some crazy stuff,” he told Rogan. “And I think in order to really tell the story properly you have to really start with the fall of the angels, which means you’re in another place, you’re in another realm. You need to go to h---.”

The director also unveiled the film’s official title: The Resurrection of the Christ.

Last year it was revealed Gibson had been scouting for for filming locations in Europe, reportedly touring Malta before visiting various ancient towns in the Southern Italian region of Puglia.

In a 2022 interview with the National Catholic Register, Gibson said the film was “not a linear narrative.”

"You have to juxtapose the central event that I’m trying to tell with everything else around it in the future, in the past, and in other realms, and that’s kind of getting a little sci-fi out there," he explained.

The Passion of the Christ — Gibson’s take on Jesus’ final days on earth leading up to his crucifixion — became the largest-grossing independent film of all time garnering over $612 million in the worldwide box office.

The film was heavily criticized for being "anti-Semitic" due to its implication that Jewish leaders were to blame for Jesus' death. However, the controversy only led to more churches booking out entire theaters to hold special screenings of the film.

During the podcast with Rogan, Gibson also discussed the ongoing wildfires raging throughout L.A. county and California Governor Gavin Newsom's handling of the situation.

Gibson remarked he would be "surprised if my home is still there" in Southern California, saying that his son, a volunteer fireman, "sent me a video of my neighborhood, and it’s in flames. It looks like an inferno." Gibson later confirmed that his house had indeed been destroyed.

"Do you think this will get you out of California finally?" Rogan, an ex-Californian himself, asked.

"Yeah, maybe," Gibson replied, suggesting he might go to his home in Costa Rica.

"Newsom said, you know, that he would take care of the forest, maintain the forest and do all that kinda stuff. He didn't do anything," the filmmaker continued.