Jim Caviezel says sequel to Mel Gibson's 'Passion of the Christ will be 'biggest film in history'

Jim Caviezel has confirmed that he will be reprising his role as Jesus Christ in the upcoming sequel to Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" and predicted that it will be the "biggest film in history."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, ICM Partners, which represent Caviezel, has confirmed that the actor is in negotiations with Gibson, who is likely to serve as a producer, a director or both.

Gibson and Caviezel have not said much about the details of the film, but the actor said that he is encouraged by the direction that the new project is taking.

"There are things that I cannot say that will shock the audience. It's great. Stay tuned," Caviezel told USA Today.

"I won't tell you how he's going to go about it. But I'll tell you this much, the film he's going to do is going to be the biggest film in history. It's that good," the actor said of Gibson.

In a 2016 interview with Stephen Colbert at "The Late Show," Gibson said that the film will not be a simple retelling of the Resurrection and hinted that it will be exploring other realms and stories about the biblical event.

The director suggested that the sequel will focus on the three days in between Jesus' death and his return to life.

"Sure, you're going all over the place. What happened in three days?... I'm not sure, but it's worth thinking about. Get your imagination going," he told Colbert.

Gibson also indicated at the time that the project would take at least three years to complete because "it's a big subject."

When the filmmaker spoke with California evangelist Greg Laurie at SoCal Harvest in 2016 about the sequel, he stressed that the project would be a "huge undertaking," adding that a film of this kind of historical and biblical significance could not be rushed.

Caviezel, who first portrayed Jesus 14 years ago, will also appear as the apostle Luke in another faith-based film "Paul Apostle of Christ," which will open on March 28.

The original "Passion of the Christ," which focused on the last 12 hours of Jesus' life, had earned $612 million worldwide on just a $30 million production budget when it was released in 2004.

Gibson told USA Today in 2016 that he was trying to shape the story of the sequel in a way that would be "cinematically compelling and enlightening so that it shines new light, if possible, without creating some weird thing."

Caviezel said that Gibson has "cracked" that story and that they have arranged a tentative schedule to shoot the new film.