Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ 2 and 3 face major shakeup after huge U-turn

Over two decades on and the long-awaited sequel to Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ has finally be green-lit.

The Resurrection of the Christ, which will be split into two parts, is set for release on Good Friday and Ascension Day 2027.

Original Jesus star Jim Caviezel has been gearing up to return for a shoot rumoured to have started in Rome this summer.

The 57-year-old devout Catholic, who was set to be digitally de-aged, had confessed that doing Passion of the Christ 2 was "my greatest fear".

But now in a major shake-up, it's reported that a huge U-turn has taken place on the film which remains in pre-production.

According to Page Six's insider, Gibson has dropped Caviezel and Monica Bellucci and will be casting younger in the roles of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. The source said that the director is now meeting with potential replacements in Rome. Meanwhile another insider claimed the reason the cast has been switched in such a dramatic U-turn is because "they'd [have had] to do a lot of work with the [original] actors... digital stuff, plus the scheduling. There was a lot of back and forth."