Cinema is unique in its ability to bring together groups of people who may otherwise not commune naturally. When The Passion of The Christ hit theaters in 2004, it was a monumental success, raking in more than six-hundred-and-twenty-three million dollars worldwide. The film was the most well-made and brutal depiction of the crucifixion ever committed to film. It is regarded as the most successful faith-based film of all time for many. It does what any great piece of cinema should do; it moves and makes us think. It challenges audiences to reconcile one of the most iconic images of our culture, a bleeding, tortured man nailed to a cross with a crown of thorns atop his head. The film also inspires the imagination in the realm of miracles, celestial beings, good and evil, and the meaning of loyalty, betrayal, and forgiveness.

For all these reasons and more, regardless of world view, we anticipate Mel Gibson's next installment with curiosity, fear, love, excitement, pity, and shame; choose your emotion. According to actor Jim Caviezel who read a recent draft of the script, we're in store for Mel Gibson's magnum opus. The Empire Strikes Back of Christianity is apparently a masterpiece and must be seen to be believed.

While there isn't much known about Gibson's plans for the sequel (other than what the Bible tells us), a release date for an upcoming novel may be evidence of the film's roundabout premiere near June 16, 2023, for a book called The Gospel According to Mel Gibson: Fact, faith and fantasy in The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection. The book is by Helen Bond, a celebrated professor of Christian Origins and the New Testament. While Satan only had a couple of cameos in Passion, it sounds like much of the film will take place in Hell, where we will likely be treated to Gibson's interpretation of eternal suffering. This experience will likely put Clive Barker's Hellraiser 2: Hellbound to shame. Horror hounds will surely flock to the theater for this nightmarish entry, which may shake some of the corny faith-based genre shackles loose, and give us a true cinematic spectacle that will give George Lucas a run for his money.