Mel Gibson’s sequel to The Passion of the Christ will begin filming this summer, according to Cinecittà Studios.

The Resurrection of the Christ will be filmed in Rome and other historic locations across Italy.

Jim Caviezel will return as Jesus, Maia Morgenstern as Mary and Francesco De Vito as Peter. Gibson will be directing and co-writing the script.

Released in 2004, The Passion of the Christ grossed $370 million domestically. It became both acclaimed and controversial for its graphic depiction of Christ’s suffering. It is widely credited with paving the way for faith-based films in Hollywood.

Manuela Cacciamani, CEO of Cinecittà Studios in Rome, confirmed the film's production start date to Catholic News Agency (CNA): “The Resurrection of Christ will be shot entirely in Cinecittà starting in August and requires many theatres and stage constructions.”

Gibson discussed the ambitious project in an interview with Joe Rogan recently, describing it as covering “the fall of the angels to the death of the last apostle".

He explained: “To tell the story properly, you have to start with the fall of the angels, which means you’re in another realm. You need to go to hell. You need to go to Sheol.”

Gibson added: “It’s going to require a lot of planning and I’m not wholly sure I can pull it off; but I’ll take a crack at it because that’s what you’ve got to do."