Mel Gibson is getting ready to embark on one of the most ambitious projects of his career after being spotted in Europe while scouting locations for a sequel to 2004’s biblical epic The Passion of the Christ. According to Puglia Film Commission director Antonio Parente, Gibson toured Malta with a production team before heading to the Southern Italian region of Puglia, where he noted the ancient towns of Ginosa, Gravina Laterza, and Altamura.

Gibson’s publicist, Alan Nierob, wants to set expectations by reminding everyone that The Passion of the Christ sequel is in its earliest stages of development. “All we can confirm is they were scouting locations recently,” Nierob told Variety, adding there’s “not a lot to discuss at this early stage.” Nierob also told the outlet that casting rumors for Passion of the Christ: Resurrection are hearsay.

According to reports, Gibson has been working on the script...