Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideToronto Int'l Film FestivalSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
Back
  • Biography
  • Awards
  • Trivia
IMDbPro
Mattia Sbragia

News

Mattia Sbragia

Mel Gibson Comments on How He'll Solve a Major Issue With The Passion of the Christ Sequel
Image
Mel Gibson, the actor-turned-director behind the controversial biblical film The Passion of the Christ, is still working on a sequel to the film that depicts Jesus' last moments. And while many would question the necessity of making a continuation, Gibson is sure about it, and his most recent comments are proof that he has a plan for addressing a major issue with the film: the fact that more than 20 years have passed since he made the first one.

On other occasions, that wouldn't be an issue. The problem is that The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection (the sequel's unofficial title) will portray the events that take place a few days after Jesus perished by crucifixion. So, how will Gibson deal with the fact that actors physically changed, some have died, and some aren't even confirmed to participate in the project? As reported by ComicBook, he has "found ways to deal with that.
See full article at MovieWeb
  • 9/26/2024
  • by Federico Furzan
  • MovieWeb
Mel Gibson's Long-Gestating Passion of the Christ Sequel Gets Back on Track
Image
The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection looks to be finally moving forward. After years of development, Mel Gibson was spotted location scouting in Europe earlier this week for the hotly-anticipated sequel to his 2004 biblical blockbuster The Passion of the Christ, suggesting that the project may be close to entering production.

Puglia Film Commission director Antonio Parente shared that Mel Gibson toured Malta with a production team and subsequently arrived in the Southern Italian region of Puglia where he visited various rural locations, including the ancient towns of Ginosa, Gravina Laterza, and Altamura. However, Gibson's publicist, Alan Nierob, was quick to fan the flames regarding a filming start date for Resurrection, telling Variety, "All we can confirm is they were scouting locations recently ... not a lot to discuss at this early stage."

Related Moon Knight's Oscar Isaac to Play Jesus Christ in New Movie

Star Wars and MCU actor...
See full article at CBR
  • 9/19/2024
  • by Lee Freitag
  • CBR
Mel Gibson's Passion Of Christ 2 Gets Major Production Update
Image
Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ 2 has received a major update. The Passion of the Christ is a 2004 epic period drama directed by Mel Gibson, following the final hours in the life of Jesus Christ, prior to his crucifixion. The film starred Jim Caviezel as Jesus, with a supporting cast that included Monica Bellucci, Maia Morgenstern, Christo Jivkov, Francesco De Vito, Mattia Sbragia, Luca Lionello, and Hristo Shopov. The film was nominated for three Oscars, for Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Makeup.

As per Variety, an update is provided about The Passion of the Christ 2. Check out the full quote below:

All we can confirm is they were scouting locations recently. Not a lot to discuss at this early stage.

More to come...

Source: Variety...
See full article at ScreenRant
  • 9/19/2024
  • by Hannah Gearan
  • ScreenRant
Exclusive: The Order Blu-Ray Clip Featuring Heath Ledger
We have a brand new exclusive clip from The Order, which will be released on Blu-ray for the first time September 14. Click below to watch this scene, which features Shannyn Sossamon trying to convince Heath Ledger to let her go to Rome:

The Order: Promise

After the head of his order of priests dies, Alex Bernier (Heath Ledger), is sent to Rome to investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death. The body bears strange marks on the chest that may be the sign of a Sin Eater, a renegade who offers absolution, last rites and a path to heaven outside the jurisdiction of the Catholic Church. Alex enlists the aid of an old comrade Father Thomas (Mark Addy) and of a troubled artist (Shannyn Sossamon) for whom he once performed an exorcism, only to find himself plunged into a mystery that brings him to the very brink of hell.
See full article at MovieWeb
  • 9/13/2010
  • MovieWeb
The Passion of the Christ
Opens

Wednesday, Feb. 25


"The Passion of the Christ" is the work of a Christian traditonalist. In depicting the last dozen hours in the earthly life of Jesus of Nazareth, Mel Gibson, who directs a script he wrote with Benedict Fitzgerald, takes the gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as literal truth. There is no allowance for metaphor or myth, no hint of contemporary interpretation. This is not "The Last Temptation of Christ", Martin Scorsese's adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis' novel that speculates on the torments and self-doubts of Jesus. This movie is an act of faith.

And that is a two-edged sword. People will see what they want to see in a movie shorn of any point of view not in literal accord with the gospels. True believers will bear witness to holy writ. Others -- nonbelievers or even less literal-minded Christians -- will be troubled by the film's staunch adherence to a story line and characters that have been used by bigots to fuel hatred for centuries.

As the film arrives swathed in controversy over its near-pornographic violence and concerns about its potential to incite anti-Semitism, the opening weekend's boxoffice should surpass its reported $25 million cost. That combination of controversy, curiosity and conviction could continue the movie's good fortune for weeks to come.

The problem with focusing narrowly on the "passion" of Christ -- meaning the suffering and ultimate redemption in the final moments of Jesus' life -- instead of his ministry, in which he preached love of God and mankind, is that the context for these events is lost. The Crucifixion was not only the culmination of several years of religious teachings but the fulfillment of Jesus' promise to die for the sins of mankind.

True, many viewers know this "back story." Pity anyone though who comes to this movie without a knowledge of the New Testament. For them, a handful of brief flashbacks to earlier days will fail to do the trick. Yet even a Bible student might wonder why Gibson would choose to downplay the self-sacrifice and love that went into Jesus' submission to torture and death. The spiritual significance of the Crucifixion gets swamped in an orgy of violence visited upon Jesus' body. Indeed, it's doubtful any human being could remain conscious for his own execution were he to endure the level of physical abuse graphically depicted here.

This, then, is a medieval Passion Play with much better effects. Flesh is flayed in grotesque detail. Body fluids spurt in exquisite patterns. Slow motion captures any action or glance Gibson deems significant.

All the characters are portrayed in the extreme. Pontius Pilate (Hristo Naumov Shopov) is a weak and frightened political operative in a lonely outpost of the Roman Empire. His soldiers are half-witted sadists and buffoons. King Herod Luca De Dominicis) is a foppish decadent. The Jews are a bloodthirsty rabble easily manipulated by the high priest Caiphas (Mattia Sbragia) and other Pharisees, jealous of their political power and social control. (Gibson has removed a line, reportedly in an earlier version, in which one Jew shouts, "May his blood be on us".)

The two Marys, the mother of Jesus (Maia Morgenstern) and Mary Magdalene (Monica Bellucci), are reduced to tearful onlookers. And, hard to imagine, the key figure here, Jesus himself (a game, blood-crusted Jim Caviezel), is such a punching bag for most of the movie that the filmmakers lose sight of his message. In early scenes and the flashback, Caviezel has the look and gravity to portray the warm and compassionate rabbi that Jesus was. But we get only these snippets of his humanity. (One bizarre flashback focuses solely on his former occupation, that of a carpenter.) More troubling is Gibson's decision to make Jesus into a victim of political intrigue, thus denying him his martyrdom.

Why do so many disciples follow this man? What does his promise of eternal life mean in the context of these events? Gibson's intense concentration on the scourging and whipping of the physical body virtually denies any metaphysical significance to the most famous half-day in history.

Technically, the film is a beauty. After a false start with music more befitting a horror film, John Debney's score acquires a chorus and builds brilliantly to the climax. Inspired by Caravaggio, cinematographer Caleb Deschanel and costume designer Maurizio Millenotti hew to a strict earthen palette of grays, browns, white, beige and burgundy. The play of shadow and light, especially the use of torches in interior scenes, presents stunning tableaus. Francesco Frigeri's sets on the Cinecitta Studios lot and the use of the 2,000-year-old city of Matera beautifully capture the Middle Eastern world of that epoch without calling attention to the design itself.

Gibson's insistence that his actors learn the language of the period works very well. Using Aramaic for Jewish characters and street Latin for Romans, the movie puts us at a necessary remove to witness the biblical story. If only Gibson had chosen to highlight spiritual truth rather than physical realism.

THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST

Newmarket Films

Icon Prods.

Credits:

Director: Mel Gibson

Screenwriters: Mel Gibson, Benedict Fitzgerald

Producers: Mel Gibson, Bruce Davey, Steve McEveety

Executive producer: Enzo Sisti

Director of photography: Caleb Deschanel

Production designer: Francesco Frigeri

Music: John Debney

Special effects makeup: Keith Vanderlaan

Costume designer: Maurizio Millenotti

Editor: John Wright

Cast:

Jesus: Jim Caviezel

Mary: Maia Morgenstern

Mary Magdalene: Monica Bellucci

Satan: Rosalinda Celantano

Caiphas, the High Priest: Mattia Sbragia

Pontius Pilate: Hristo Naumov Shopov

Claudia Procles: Claudia Gerini

Judas Iscariot: Luca Lionello

Running time -- 126 minutes

MPAA rating: R...
  • 7/9/2004
  • The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Passion of the Christ
Opens

Wednesday, Feb. 25


"The Passion of the Christ" is the work of a Christian traditonalist. In depicting the last dozen hours in the earthly life of Jesus of Nazareth, Mel Gibson, who directs a script he wrote with Benedict Fitzgerald, takes the gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as literal truth. There is no allowance for metaphor or myth, no hint of contemporary interpretation. This is not "The Last Temptation of Christ", Martin Scorsese's adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis' novel that speculates on the torments and self-doubts of Jesus. This movie is an act of faith.

And that is a two-edged sword. People will see what they want to see in a movie shorn of any point of view not in literal accord with the gospels. True believers will bear witness to holy writ. Others -- nonbelievers or even less literal-minded Christians -- will be troubled by the film's staunch adherence to a story line and characters that have been used by bigots to fuel hatred for centuries.

As the film arrives swathed in controversy over its near-pornographic violence and concerns about its potential to incite anti-Semitism, the opening weekend's boxoffice should surpass its reported $25 million cost. That combination of controversy, curiosity and conviction could continue the movie's good fortune for weeks to come.

The problem with focusing narrowly on the "passion" of Christ -- meaning the suffering and ultimate redemption in the final moments of Jesus' life -- instead of his ministry, in which he preached love of God and mankind, is that the context for these events is lost. The Crucifixion was not only the culmination of several years of religious teachings but the fulfillment of Jesus' promise to die for the sins of mankind.

True, many viewers know this "back story." Pity anyone though who comes to this movie without a knowledge of the New Testament. For them, a handful of brief flashbacks to earlier days will fail to do the trick. Yet even a Bible student might wonder why Gibson would choose to downplay the self-sacrifice and love that went into Jesus' submission to torture and death. The spiritual significance of the Crucifixion gets swamped in an orgy of violence visited upon Jesus' body. Indeed, it's doubtful any human being could remain conscious for his own execution were he to endure the level of physical abuse graphically depicted here.

This, then, is a medieval Passion Play with much better effects. Flesh is flayed in grotesque detail. Body fluids spurt in exquisite patterns. Slow motion captures any action or glance Gibson deems significant.

All the characters are portrayed in the extreme. Pontius Pilate (Hristo Naumov Shopov) is a weak and frightened political operative in a lonely outpost of the Roman Empire. His soldiers are half-witted sadists and buffoons. King Herod Luca De Dominicis) is a foppish decadent. The Jews are a bloodthirsty rabble easily manipulated by the high priest Caiphas (Mattia Sbragia) and other Pharisees, jealous of their political power and social control. (Gibson has removed a line, reportedly in an earlier version, in which one Jew shouts, "May his blood be on us".)

The two Marys, the mother of Jesus (Maia Morgenstern) and Mary Magdalene (Monica Bellucci), are reduced to tearful onlookers. And, hard to imagine, the key figure here, Jesus himself (a game, blood-crusted Jim Caviezel), is such a punching bag for most of the movie that the filmmakers lose sight of his message. In early scenes and the flashback, Caviezel has the look and gravity to portray the warm and compassionate rabbi that Jesus was. But we get only these snippets of his humanity. (One bizarre flashback focuses solely on his former occupation, that of a carpenter.) More troubling is Gibson's decision to make Jesus into a victim of political intrigue, thus denying him his martyrdom.

Why do so many disciples follow this man? What does his promise of eternal life mean in the context of these events? Gibson's intense concentration on the scourging and whipping of the physical body virtually denies any metaphysical significance to the most famous half-day in history.

Technically, the film is a beauty. After a false start with music more befitting a horror film, John Debney's score acquires a chorus and builds brilliantly to the climax. Inspired by Caravaggio, cinematographer Caleb Deschanel and costume designer Maurizio Millenotti hew to a strict earthen palette of grays, browns, white, beige and burgundy. The play of shadow and light, especially the use of torches in interior scenes, presents stunning tableaus. Francesco Frigeri's sets on the Cinecitta Studios lot and the use of the 2,000-year-old city of Matera beautifully capture the Middle Eastern world of that epoch without calling attention to the design itself.

Gibson's insistence that his actors learn the language of the period works very well. Using Aramaic for Jewish characters and street Latin for Romans, the movie puts us at a necessary remove to witness the biblical story. If only Gibson had chosen to highlight spiritual truth rather than physical realism.

THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST

Newmarket Films

Icon Prods.

Credits:

Director: Mel Gibson

Screenwriters: Mel Gibson, Benedict Fitzgerald

Producers: Mel Gibson, Bruce Davey, Steve McEveety

Executive producer: Enzo Sisti

Director of photography: Caleb Deschanel

Production designer: Francesco Frigeri

Music: John Debney

Special effects makeup: Keith Vanderlaan

Costume designer: Maurizio Millenotti

Editor: John Wright

Cast:

Jesus: Jim Caviezel

Mary: Maia Morgenstern

Mary Magdalene: Monica Bellucci

Satan: Rosalinda Celantano

Caiphas, the High Priest: Mattia Sbragia

Pontius Pilate: Hristo Naumov Shopov

Claudia Procles: Claudia Gerini

Judas Iscariot: Luca Lionello

Running time -- 126 minutes

MPAA rating: R...
  • 2/23/2004
  • The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.

More from this person

More to explore

Recently viewed

Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
Get the IMDb App
Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
Follow IMDb on social
Get the IMDb App
For Android and iOS
Get the IMDb App
  • Help
  • Site Index
  • IMDbPro
  • Box Office Mojo
  • License IMDb Data
  • Press Room
  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
IMDb, an Amazon company

© 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.