Hollywood has been buzzing over Mel Gibson's controversial film "The Passion of the Christ." However, it is the box-office return that is catching the attention of several studio bigwigs. Several major studios have approached Gibson about the possibilities of a "Passion" sequel, and Gibson recently announced he has struck a deal with Universal Studios for a big-budget sequel.
Gibson has been developing the next "Passion" movie since shooting principal photography on the initial film.
"A sequel is something I always had in mind," Gibson admitted. "Although, ["The Passion"] is such a literal interpretation of the Bible, at first I was worried that people of different religious communities would object to taking certain artistic interpretations that aren't necessarily accurate. But then again, I've already pissed off enough people already, so why not [go ahead with a sequel]?"
"The Passion" earned $84 million in its opening weekend alone, according to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB.com), and everyone in Hollywood took notice. James R. McGee, who runs the movie information Web site MovieCrapFest.net, is not surprised by the sequel announcement.
"If a movie grosses that much in its opening weekend, it's pretty much guaranteed a sequel will be made," McGee said. "In the case of 'The Passion,' though, what's odd are the changes Gibson is demanding."
Among these changes, the most drastic is the replacement of lead actor Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus in the first film, with up-and-coming actor Ashton Kutcher of "Punk'd" fame. Gibson, however, is not concerned.
"I had Ashton [Kutcher] in mind when I wrote the first film," insisted Gibson. "He just exudes not only the suffering, but also the brilliant teaching that Jesus did. We couldn't get him for the first one because of his busy schedule, but now we are both on the same Biblical page."
Among the naysayers is the Rev. Archie Landreezy of the Tenleytown Church of Christ. He was appalled at the idea of a "Passion" sequel that was unfaithful to the Bible, objecting to several scenes from Gibson's script including Jesus tattooing the word "sweet" on his back, traveling through time to attend a Staind concert and dealing with the paparazzi of ancient Palestine as it hounds his high-profile romance with Mary Magdalene, to be recast as Kutcher's real-life girlfriend Demi Moore.
"These changes are utterly ridiculous," Landreezy argued. "I supported Mel [Gibson] on the first 'Passion.' It is clear that Jesus invented the dining room table, but there's no way Jesus ever got a tattoo."
Gibson insists that taking creative liberty with a film is nothing new.
"You have to look at these films as adaptations of a book," Gibson said. "When Peter Jackson did '[Lord of the] Rings,' he had to make some changes. I read those books, and those elves did not fight at Helm's Deep."
Production on the tentatively titled "The Passion of the Christ 2: Dude, Where's My Savior?" begins later this year, and Gibson is determined to push forward despite the backlash.
"People are always going to criticize risk-takers," Gibson said. "I'm just trying to bring my vision of Jesus to the masses, and all those disagreeing with me are just haters"
