I JUST TALKED WITH MEL GIBSON!!!!

God bless Michael Medved who just let me speak with Mel! Mel is re-releasing "The Passion" in a PG-13 version [6 minutes edited out of the particularly brutal stuff that originally garnered an 'R' rating] and was on Michael's show to promote the new release. I told Mel that his film looked to me to be the 2nd of a trilogy---the first being the Gospel, the third being the Acts of the Apostles. I reminded him of the scene in the carpenter shop with Jesus and Mary was just beautiful and why aren't there more of those scenes? Could he assemble the same cast for more?

He seemed hesitant and doubtful. But, GOSH!, I got to ask him myself! He joked that to do that, he should have filmed it all in the first place. [Michael suggested like the Lord of the Rings trilogy].

While I was on hold, Darth Sytman [Michael's screener] told me it wasn't a for-sure that I'd get through. I said, that's O.K. I'll say a 'Hail Mary'. I did. I got on. Thanks, Mary!

UPDATE: I am corrected. This new version is "Unrated". It's somewhere between a PG-13 and an R. There are different ratings around the world, and so this was the best way to get it re-released for all those varying standards.