"Resurrection" aims for Easter Release

'Resurrection' to appear at Easter
8 June 2006 (The Hollywood Reporter)

Picking up where the biblical story of Jesus Christ's passion leaves off, Screen Gems is angling for an Eastertime release of a feature film tentatively titled The Resurrection, people familiar with the project confirmed Wednesday. Using the Bible for its source material, Resurrection will tell the story of Jesus Christ beginning the day he died on the cross and ending about 40 days later with his ascension into heaven. According to insiders, Screen Gems, headed by Clint Culpepper, commissioned a script several months ago from Lionel Chetwynd, the veteran screenwriter, producer and director whose credits include The Hanoi Hilton for the big screen and the Emmy-nominated TV movie Ike: Countdown to D-Day.

Sony aiming for Easter box office "Resurrection"

Picking up where the biblical story of Jesus Christ's passion leaves off, Sony Pictures is angling for an Eastertime release of a feature film tentatively titled "The Resurrection," people familiar with the project confirmed Wednesday.

Using the Bible for its source material, "Resurrection" will tell the story of Jesus Christ beginning the day he died on the cross and ending about 40 days later with his ascension into heaven.

According to insiders, Sony's mid-budget Screen Gems division commissioned a script several months ago from Lionel Chetwynd, the veteran screenwriter, producer and director whose credits include the feature "The Hanoi Hilton" and the Emmy-nominated TV movie "Ike: Countdown to D-Day."

Set to produce is Tim LaHaye, co-author of the best-selling "Left Behind" series of books. A popular minister and frequent TV news pundit, "Resurrection" will mark LaHaye's first foray into mainstream filmmaking.

In mining biblical material, those behind the project hope to tap into the same vein that so richly rewarded Mel Gibson for his self-funded "The Passion of the Christ." The 2004 release earned $612 million in worldwide box office receipts, making it one of the 30 most-popular films of all time.

"'The Passion' ends with Jesus being taken from the cross, and 'The Resurrection' opens with the empty cross," a person familiar with the script said.

According to the Bible, women who visited the tomb of Jesus Christ three days after his crucifixion found it empty, and his disciples and other acquaintances, including Mary Magdalene, encountered him postresurrection on various occasions during a 40-day period.

The film will focus on these dramatic encounters and their implications for the Roman garrison in Judea and the broader Roman Empire, insiders said.

"This is not a fanciful rendering. It's a serious attempt to understand the Roman world in which Christ moved and the Christian era was born," a person familiar with the project said.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

A sequel for 'The Passion'

Staff Reporter
Thu, 08 Jun 2006

Following in the steps of 'The Passion Of The Christ', and possibly hitting back at 'The Omen', there's a new big screen version of Jesus' life on its way.

Tentatively titled 'The Resurrection', it picks up where Mel Gibson's blockbuster left off, chronicling the 40 days from the day he was crucified until his ascension to heaven.

Based directly on the Bible, the movie is scheduled for an Easter release from Sony Pictures' Screen Gems branch.

The mid budget division hired Lionel Chetwynd, writer and director of 'The Hanoi Hilton' to write the screenplay some months ago.

The producer is co-author of the 'Left Behind' books that cover subjects like the Rapture and Apocalypse, the religious minister Tim LaHaye.

"'The Passion' ends with Jesus being taken from the cross, and 'The Resurrection' opens with the empty cross," a source familiar with the script told The Hollywood Reporter.

"This is not a fanciful rendering. It's a serious attempt to understand the Roman world in which Christ moved and the Christian era was born."

The Biblical version of the story states that people who visited Jesus' tomb three days after he died on the cross found it empty. Mary Magdalene, other people in his life, and the disciples saw him on various occasions during the days before his ascension.

The new film, which hopes to reach the same audiences that helped Gibson's 2004 film gross $612-million at the global box office, will focus on the encounters with Jesus and their implications on the Roman empire.

Apart from the 1987 'Hilton' film, the writer, director and producer Chetwynd was behind the TV movie 'Ike: Countdown to D-Day' which starred Tom Selleck.

Another film, the upcoming 'The Nativity', is to chronicle the birth of Jesus.