Mel Gibson has found a studio partner for The Resurrection of the Christ, the long awaited follow-up to the 2004 smash hit The Passion of the Christ. Lionsgate will join Gibson and Brucey Davey’s Icon Productions to mount a follow to the movie which long held the mark as the biggest domestic grossing R-rated film of all time.

The announcement Adam Fogelson, chair, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, and Mel Gibson.

No details about the film, but I expect most of the cast to return. That includes Jim Cavaziel, who played Jesus Christ in the original –Spoiler Alert — who was killed and rose from the dead in the first film. Also expected back are such cast members as Monica Bellucci, who played Magdalen, and whoever in the cast figures into the script that Gibson co-wrote to direct. Production will begin late summer.

The Passion of the Christ debuted to an opening...