Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ
made big money at the box office. Now it's time for the ultimate resurrection: a Hollywood sequel. Find out what Hollywood big-wigs have in store for the Son of God's big screen return.FROM: Ryan Leremy, President, New Market Films
TO: Doug Sanderson CEO, Icon Productions, Inc.
SUBJECT: The Passion of the Christ sequel
Doug: Very excited to hear that Mel is planning a sequel to
Passion. I'd love to see the script. He left the door open for Jesus to come back with the whole "resurrection" thing. Is it historically accurate? Just a quibble. Let's get this thing green-lit.
FROM: Doug
TO: Ryan
SUBJECT: Possible Titles
Ryan: Everyone here is very excited also. We want to be more edgy this time. Mel is playing with titles for the new film (
Passion II is out). How does this grab you:
Texas Chainsaw Jesus? Rome is in decline and this time around, Jesus is menaced by a chainsaw-wielding maniac. He escapes through courage and wits. We're trying to bring in Colin Farrell.
FROM: Ryan
TO: Doug
SUBJECT: Texas Chainsaw Jesus
Doug: Love the overall concept. Definitely want to work with Mel again. But were there power tools in 30 AD? What about something where the apostles get knocked off one by one? It's up to Jesus to bring the lunatic to justice. It's
Seven meets
The Da Vinci Code. Colin Farrell's good, but let's get an action guy for this.
FROM: Doug
TO: Ryan
SUBJECT: RE: Texas Chainsaw Jesus
Great ideas. Maybe we skip the chainsaw and go with a scythe. I'll check with our biblical image consultants. We just want to be careful not to sacrifice the overall meaning here. Jesus is back, and he' got a score to settle with the Jews. This time, it' personal. We'll send out feelers to Bruce Willis.
FROM: Ryan
TO: Doug
SUBJECT: RE: RE: Texas Chainsaw Jesus
Doug: Just received the first draft. We're all loving it! Some notes: Are you married to the nun chucks? Otherwise, the "massacre at the temple" scene is perfect. Where in the Bible does it imply that Christ has x-ray vision? The chase scene is great. But after falling down a hill, camels generally don't explode. What if, in the end, Jesus realizes his own mortality? It would help audience identify.
FROM: Ryan
TO: Doug
SUBJECT: RE: RE: Texas Chainsaw Jesus
Doug: One more note on the first draft. We were all wondering about this stage direction:
JEWS ENTER (Cue "Imperial March" from
Star Wars)
FROM: Doug
TO: Ryan
SUBJECT: RE: RE: RE: Texas Chainsaw Jesus
Ryan, just got your merchandising proposals. Mel says "no go" to Sega' concept of a Rapture game. Also to the John The Baptist scratch-n-win game cards. We're making an historical movie here, not bobbleheads. Great news, though: Industrial Light and Magic has come on board to handle special effects. All battle/flying scenes will be CGI, and one of the apostles (Bartholomew) will be totally digital.