Paul, Apostle Of Christ marked Jim Caviezel’s return to biblical epics following The Passion Of The Christ. Prior to The Passion Of The Christ, Caviezel appeared in a number of leading roles in movies like Frequency, Angel Eyes with Jennifer Lopez and The Count of Monte Cristo. The actor once recounted some sage advice his Frequency co-star Dennis Quaid gave him, which was to avoid playing Jesus Christ or Superman as he’d be permanently typecast either way. Caviezel – a devout Catholic in real life – later accepted the role of Jesus in The Passion Of The Christ, and auditioned for the title role in Superman Returns around the same time.
The Passion Of The Christ was co-written and directed by Mel Gibson, and despite being faced with controversy over its graphic violence and accusations of antisemitism, the movie would become a huge success worldwide. The movie grossed over $600 million and would receive three Academy Award nominations. While the film’s violence proved somewhat grueling for many viewers, Caviezel received praise for his performance. While the actor would go on to play lead roles in movies like 2008’s Outlander or horror remake Long Weekend, his most high-profile part came with CBS thriller Person Of Interest. The show ran for five seasons and attracted a loyal fanbase.
Christian films have proven to be popular in recent years, including movies like Risen and I Can Only Imagine. Paul, Apostle Of Christ marked Jim Caviezel first biblical epic since 2004, where he portrays Saint Luke opposite Saint Paul, who is played by James Faulkner (Game Of Thrones).
Paul, Apostle Of Christ tells the story of how Paul – once known as Saul of Tarsus – went from being a vicious persecutor of Christians before converting himself and becoming a renowned leader. The movie takes place during Paul’s final days, when he’s imprisoned and due to be executed for being a perceived threat to the Roman Empire. Caviezel’s Luke comes to visit Paul and convinces him to recount his story for the Acts of the Apostles, a book of the New Testament.
Paul, Apostle Of Christ was nowhere near as successful as The Passion Of The Christ, but it was a modest box-office hit and received good reviews for its performances and its message of forgiveness. Mel Gibson and Jim Caviezel are set to reunite for The Resurrection Of The Christ, though there’s no word on when production will start on the sequel. Gibson is set to tackle another directing project with his remake of The Wild Bunch first, so the follow-up might not happen for a while.
