Story perspectives

Gibson's $250M Biblical Duo Debuts 2027, 2028

5/23/2026

Summary

Story summary

Mel Gibson announced Part One will open on May 6, 2027 and Part Two on May 25, 2028, both on Ascension Day.
Lionsgate said the 134-day shoot in Rome, Bari, Ginosa, Craco, Brindisi and Matera, Italy, wrapped with a $250 million budget.
Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen now portrays Jesus, replacing Jim Caviezel.
Mariela Garriga replaces Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene.
Pier Luigi Pasino, Kasia Smutniak, Riccardo Scamarcio and Rupert Everett also join the cast.

History

Historical Context

Facing 1950s financial strain and TV competition, MGM head Joseph Vogel green-lit a $15.175 million remake of Ben-Hur after Paramount’s 1956 hit The Ten Commandments. Director William Wyler filmed the epic in Rome’s Cinecittà in 1958, releasing it in 1959 to earn $146 million worldwide and win 11 Oscars, establishing the high-budget, location-driven model later echoed in modern biblical epics.

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Story summary

Mel Gibson announced Part One will open on May 6, 2027 and Part Two on May 25, 2028, both on Ascension Day.
Lionsgate said the 134-day shoot in Rome, Bari, Ginosa, Craco, Brindisi and Matera, Italy, wrapped with a $250 million budget.
Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen now portrays Jesus, replacing Jim Caviezel.
Mariela Garriga replaces Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene.
Pier Luigi Pasino, Kasia Smutniak, Riccardo Scamarcio and Rupert Everett also join the cast.

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