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Mel Gibson, the actor-turned-director behind the controversial biblical film The Passion of the Christ, is still working on a sequel to the film that depicts Jesus' last moments. And while many would question the necessity of making a continuation, Gibson is sure about it, and his most recent comments are proof that he has a plan for addressing a major issue with the film: the fact that more than 20 years have passed since he made the first one.

On other occasions, that wouldn't be an issue. The problem is that The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection (the sequel's unofficial title) will portray the events that take place a few days after Jesus perished by crucifixion. So, how will Gibson deal with the fact that actors physically changed, some have died, and some aren't even confirmed to participate in the project? As reported by ComicBook, he has "found ways to deal with that.

The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection looks to be finally moving forward. After years of development, Mel Gibson was spotted location scouting in Europe earlier this week for the hotly-anticipated sequel to his 2004 biblical blockbuster The Passion of the Christ, suggesting that the project may be close to entering production.

Puglia Film Commission director Antonio Parente shared that Mel Gibson toured Malta with a production team and subsequently arrived in the Southern Italian region of Puglia where he visited various rural locations, including the ancient towns of Ginosa, Gravina Laterza, and Altamura. However, Gibson's publicist, Alan Nierob, was quick to fan the flames regarding a filming start date for Resurrection, telling Variety, "All we can confirm is they were scouting locations recently ... not a lot to discuss at this early stage."

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Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ 2 has received a major update. The Passion of the Christ is a 2004 epic period drama directed by Mel Gibson, following the final hours in the life of Jesus Christ, prior to his crucifixion. The film starred Jim Caviezel as Jesus, with a supporting cast that included Monica Bellucci, Maia Morgenstern, Christo Jivkov, Francesco De Vito, Mattia Sbragia, Luca Lionello, and Hristo Shopov. The film was nominated for three Oscars, for Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Makeup.

As per Variety, an update is provided about The Passion of the Christ 2. Check out the full quote below:

All we can confirm is they were scouting locations recently. Not a lot to discuss at this early stage.

More to come...

Source: Variety...

The 81st Venice International Film Festival has announced the opening night films for its Horizons and Horizons Extra competition sections.

Nonostante, the second feature from Italian director Valerio Mastandrea (2018’s Ride) will open the Horizons competition section on August 28. The Horizons Extra competition section will kick off on August 29 with September 5, Tim Fehlbaum’s historical drama about the 1972 Munich Olympics starring Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro and Ben Chaplin.

September 5 focuses on a sports broadcasting team who suddenly find themselves covering a hostage crisis when the Palestinian militant organization Black September infiltrates the Olympic Village, kills two members of the Israeli Olympic team, and takes the other nine hostage. The Teacher’s Lounge breakout Leonie Benesch also co-stars. Fehlbaum is best known for his sci-fi features Hell (2011) and The Colony (2021).

September 5 was produced by BerghausWöbke Filmproduktion and Projected Picture Works, in co-production with Constantin Film and Erf Edgar Reitz Filmproduktion. Fehlbaum,...

You might think Shia Labeouf portraying a 20th-century Italian saint under the direction of perpetual bad-boy expat Abel Ferrara is a pretty strange prospect. But that’s just the iceberg tip of the oddities in “Padre Pio,” which, despite the American star’s casting in the title role, often appears uninterested in its own venerated ostensible subject.

Instead, much of this awkward English-language period piece focuses on peasants’ struggle to overthrow padrone control just after the First World War. Depicting that conflict often feels beyond the modest production’s scale — and, in any case, is never meaningfully connected to the angsty histrionics of Labeouf, who seems to be in his own separate, indulgent, semi-improvised movie. Though coherent relative to Ferrara’s last narrative feature, the impenetrable espionage tale “Zeroes and Ones,” this eccentric misfire will likely puzzle fans of his past cult favorites, while flummoxing Catholic viewers who expect straightforward religious uplift.

A tormented priest arrives in an Italian village where a looming election pits angry peasants against wealthy landowners. Padre Pio, the latest from auteur Abel Ferrara, chronicles the formative years of a future Catholic saint with a bizarrely unbalanced narrative. What could have been a gripping portrayal of faith in times of crisis devolves into a dull slog. The protagonist never interacts with the socioeconomic upheaval happening around him. Injustice plays second fiddle to tedious religious dogma in a film that severely tests your patience.

Padre Pio (Shia Labeouf) rides a donkey towards the Franciscan Capuchin monastery at San Giovanni Rotondo. He devoutly prays for guidance under the searing son. God can be his only savior from heavy burdens. In the village below, soldiers return bearing the brutal scars of World War I. Giavanni (Cristina Chiriac) clutches her two young children as she looks for her husband. He's nowhere to be found as others weep,...

One of Catholicism's most iconic figures is getting their story told on the big screen with Padre Pio. Helmed by provocateur Abel Ferrara, well-known for the likes of Bad Lieutenant and The Addiction, the biographical drama will chronicle the early days of the eponymous priest's ministry at a remote Capuchin monastery in Italy's San Giovanni Rotondo post-World War I, and his efforts to help the Italian soldiers returning to the village. Shia Labeouf is leading the cast of Padre Pio alongside Marco Leonardi, Salvatore Ruocco, Luca Lionello, and Asia Argento.

In time for its theatrical release, Screen Rant can exclusively present a new Padre Pio clip.

The video, as seen above, finds Labeouf's eponymous priest being confronted by his personal demons with a listing of the various actions he feels guilty over, which he vehemently argues against and calls upon the Lord to make the unseen figure stop.

Will Padre Pio Launch Another Labeouf Resurgence?...

Shia Labeouf makes his big screen return in Padre Pio, a new movie from Abel Ferrara that made waves during the 2022 Venice Film Festival and is now set to be released to theaters by Gravitas Ventures. In an exclusive clip, Labeouf appears as the titular Franciscan monk. You can check it out below.

The movie has already received glowing praise from its film festival appearances, but it's certainly something deeper than your usual summer blockbuster, which could see it struggle to gain box office standing among some of the big attention grabbing movies out in the cinematic landscape at the moment. Considering Ferrara's previous films, and Labeouf's spiritual and artistic choices, that's probably besides the point for them. The synopsis for Padre Pio reads as follows:

“It is the end of World War I and the young Italian soldiers are making their way back to San Giovanni Rotondo, a land of poverty,...

Shia Labeouf makes his big screen return in Padre Pio, a new movie from Abel Ferrara that made waves during the 2022 Venice Film Festival and is now set to be released to theaters by Gravitas Ventures. In an exclusive clip, Labeouf appears as the titular Franciscan Monk. You can check it out below.

The movie has already received glowing praise from its film festival appearances, but it certainly something deeper than your usual summer blockbuster, which could see it struggle to gain box office standing in among some of the big attention grabbing movies out there right now. According to the synopsis:

“It is the end of World War I and the young Italian soldiers are making their way back to San Giovanni Rotondo, a land of poverty, historic violence and the iron clad rule of the church and its wealthy landowners. Families are desperate, the men are broken, but victorious.

Abel Ferrara’s Padre Pio is a fusion of two souls, each as rough-hewn and fragmentary as the other. Set in the immediate aftermath of World War I in the Italian village of San Giovanni Rotondo and filmed on location, it’s partly a biopic about the Catholic saint Pio of Pietrelcina (Shia Labeouf), for whom every waking moment seems a dark night of the soul. But it’s also a dramatization of the struggle between the landed gentry and the soldiers who return disillusioned from the war, culminating in violence after a stolen election.

Ferrara and co-writer Maurzio Braucci, instead of treating Catholicism and Marxism as antagonistic, find resonance in their iconography, their shared valorization of the downtrodden, and the zeal of their adherents—as well as their crises of faith. It isn’t heresy to say that Padre Pio is a spiritual successor to Pier Paolo Pasolini’s The Gospel According to St.

In less than a month, Shia Labeouf will return to the big screen thanks to acclaimed director Abel Ferrara (Zeros and Ones) in Padre Pio, a film that inspired the actor to convert to Catholicism since he plays a priest in it.

A few weeks ago, it was confirmed that Gravitas Ventures would be the company in charge of distributing this new project, which will hit theaters on June 2. After the announcement of the release date, the full trailer for the film is now out:

Check out the synopsis for Padre Pio:

“In this powerful drama directed by acclaimed filmmaker Abel Ferrara, a young priest, Padre Pio (Shia Labeouf), begins his ministry at a remote Capuchin monastery in Italy’s San Giovanni Rotondo. WWI has ended and Italian soldiers — broken but victorious — are returning to the impoverished village ruled by wealthy land owners. As events surrounding the first free...

"It feels like a sin to question these things, it feels like a sin to be angry with the Lord." Gravitas Ventures has revealed an official trailer for Padre Pio, a new film from American director Abel Ferrara, who now lives and works in Italy. This premiered at the Venice Days sidebar of the Venice Film Festival last year (did anyone even see it?) and opens in the US this June. This biopic from Ferrara follows Roman Catholic Saint Padre Pio in his early years. At the end of World War I, Padre Pio begins his ministry at a remote monastery in southern Italy. Soon, his charisma and storied visions bring him fame. Shia Labeouf stars alongside Cristina Chiriac, Marco Leonardi, Asia Argento, Vincenzo Crea, Luca Lionello, Brando Pacitto, Stella Mastrantonio, and Salvatore Ruocco. Some may remember that this role "saved" Labeouf's life, as he claimed in an interview last...

Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has nabbed North American rights to the Shia Labeouf-led drama Padre Pio from filmmaker Abel Ferrara, slating it for a day-and-date release on June 2nd.

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In the film penned by Maurizio Braucci and Ferrara, which world premiered at last year’s Venice Film Festival, it’s the end of World War I and the young Italian soldiers are making their way back to San Giovanni Rotondo, a land of poverty, historic violence and the ironclad rule of the church and its wealthy landowners. Families are desperate; the men are broken, but victorious.