The star of the 2004 epic 'The Passion of the Christ' has said that the film's hotly-anticipated sequel will be the "biggest film in world history".

Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus in the original, revealed that the film would be titled ‘The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection', noting that it is currently in development under the direction of actor Mel Gibson.

"Mel Gibson just sent me the third picture, the third draft. It’s coming,” he said on SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Daily.

The Passion of the Christ, which told the story of Christ's crucifixion, became a global phenomenon after its release 16 years ago. Despite its meagre $30 million production budget, the film grossed a staggering $612 million worldwide.

The sequel, which has no set release date as yet, will tell the story of the three days between Christ's death and resurrection.

Speaking to talk show host Stephen Colbert about the film back in 2016, Gibson said it was a "few years off" because it's a "big subject" to cover. 

"It's an amazing event," Gibson said of the resurrection, noting that the movie would seek to portray the "things around it".

"It's not just about the event," he said. "It's not some kind of chronological telling of just that event. That could be boring, like, 'oh, we've read that.'"

Instead, Gibson suggested it would be interesting to ask "what are the other things around [the ressurection] that happened?" adding that he may explore the idea of depicting the unseen spiritual realm.

"Who's the bad guy? Is it Thomas who doubts that Christ is risen?" Colbert asked jokingly. "No. Well, there are [bad guys]," Gibson replied. "They're in another realm."