Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ 2 is confirmed, but the sequel looks to be a lot more controversial. In 2004, The Passion of the Christ took the world by storm with particular appeal to American evangelicals, and it was successful in many international markets as well. Principally inspired by the Gospel of John, The Passion of the Christ also incorporated a number of Catholic traditions and even the visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824). Its release became particularly controversial due to charges of antisemitism — not helped by Gibson's own personal controversies.

Since 2004, Gibson has openly talked about the possibility of making a sequel that continues the narrative. The Passion of the Christ was undeniably one of the most important Biblical epics ever made by Hollywood, so it's not really a surprise to see Gibson finally attempt to turn this into something of a loose franchise — especially at...