Mel Gibson's warning: Satan will come after you

Mel Gibson's longtime collaborator, screenwriter Randall Wallace, has revealed a warning the two-time Oscar winner gave him before they began writing the sequel to "The Passion of the Christ."

Wallace (76), who previously collaborated with Gibson (70) on the films "Braveheart" (1995), "We Were Soldiers" (2002) and "Hacksaw Ridge" (2016), wrote the screenplay for the film "The Resurrection of the Christ" with Gibson and his brother Donal Gibson.

Appearing on the podcast "Arroyo Grande", Wallace said that it was he who persuaded Gibson to film the story of Christ's resurrection after the huge success of the film "The Passion of the Christ".

"Mel didn't approach me. I actually approached him," Wallace said, talking about how their collaboration on the film "The Resurrection of Christ" began.

"That doesn't mean he didn't think about the Resurrection many times over the years. In fact, in the original version of 'The Passion of the Christ,' the Resurrection scene didn't exist at all. Later, he got a lot of comments from people saying, 'We really want to see that part of the story,'" he added.

Wallace then described Gibson's reaction to his proposal, recalling that the director felt that working on such a film could also bring spiritual challenges.

"There was a long pause, and then he said something really profound. He said, 'If we're going to do this, it can't be for money. And it can't be a way to get revenge on people who hated us, who wronged us, or were unhappy with us.' Then he added, 'You know, Satan is going to come after you,'" Wallace recounted.

In a press release, Gibson said the film was made "exactly as he imagined it."

"I am immensely grateful to the incredibly talented cast and crew who poured their hearts into this project. Together we have created something truly powerful," said Gibson, adding that this film represents one of the most important projects of his career.

"This film represents a large part of my life's work and has demanded everything I have as a filmmaker and an artist. For me, this is much more than a film. It is a mission that I have carried for over 20 years - to tell what I believe is the most important story in human history," Gibson said.

The film "The Passion of the Christ," which premiered in February 2004, depicts the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ's life before his crucifixion. Due to its extremely graphic scenes of violence and subject matter, it was one of the most controversial films of the year.

Despite this, it was a huge commercial success, grossing more than $610 million worldwide on a budget of around $30 million.

The film was also nominated for three Oscars, for best makeup, original score, and cinematography.