‘Passion of the Christ’ star Caviezel returns for sequel: ‘Going to be the biggest film in history’

Actor Jim Caviezel, who portrayed Jesus Christ in 2004's "The Passion of the Christ," has spoken out about his role as Luke in the forthcoming film "Paul, Apostle of Christ."

During an interview about "Paul, Apostle of Christ," Caviezel also revealed that he will reprise his role as Jesus Christ in a forthcoming sequel to 2004's "Passion."

Caviezel said he believes the "Passion" sequel will be "the biggest film in history."

What did he say?

Caviezel praised the upcoming film, "The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection," during his discussion with USA Today, explaining "there are things that I cannot say that will shock the audience," and adding that the film is "great."

"I won’t tell you how he’s going to go about it," Caviezel told the outlet of director Mel Gibson's take on the film. "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."

Gibson directed, co-wrote and produced 2004's "The Passion of the Christ," which raked in over $611 million worldwide on a $30 million budget and was nominated for three Academy Awards.

"In 'Passion,' I was Jesus, the central figure," he said. "But in ['Paul, Apostle of Christ'], as Luke, I [essentially] get to play Aaron next to Moses."

According to USA Today:

'Paul' follows the final days of the apostle’s life as he's held in a Roman prison for preaching Christianity, awaiting execution orders from Emperor Nero. He's allowed visits from his physician, friend and fellow believer, Luke. Olivier Martinez plays Mauritius, the Roman prison prefect overseeing the prisoner.

You can watch the film's full trailer below.

"Paul, Apostle of Christ" hits theaters Mar. 28.

Anything else?

Appearing in "Paul, Apostle of Christ" as well as the forthcoming "Passion" sequel could be a career resurgence of sorts for Caviezel, who in 2017 said that he was a more popular actor before playing the titular character in "The Passion of the Christ."

During an interview with a Polish outlet, Caviezel indicated that the industry snubbed him after his portrayal of Jesus Christ.

"All of a sudden I stopped being one of five most popular actors in the studio, and I hadn’t done anything wrong. I just played Jesus," Caviezel told Polish film critic Lukasz Adamski.

"Was I personally affected by this rejection? Well, everyone has their cross to bear, he added. "The world changes … but I will not be in this world forever. Neither will the producers from Hollywood. At some point, everyone will have to answer for what they have done."

Caviezel later added that despite working in Hollywood, the town and its industry never tainted his faith.

"I’ve never forgotten that the name of Jesus is above all else," he explained. "It is also the most controversial name of all times. Love is controversial and he impersonates love. Jesus was telling the Romans about love and they killed him because of that. ‘Who is that man to tell me what kind of person I’m supposed to be?’ – they asked arrogantly. He was betrayed by his own people and abandoned by everyone. My duty was not only to show it all on the screen. My real duty is to live in accordance with the gospel every day and to give witness to the truth."