Bulgarian actor Christo Jivkov dies at the age of 48.
The star, best known for his role as Saint John in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, died in Los Angeles after a long battle with lung cancer.
He also played Giovanni delle Bande Nere in Ermanno Olmi’s 2001 Profession of Arms.
Jivkov was an actor and producer who was born in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Shortly after graduating from the Bulgarian Academy of Film and Theater, where he majored in film directing, he was cast in the lead role in The Profession of Arms.
Sad news: Bulgarian actor Christo Jivkov has died at the age of 48 (pictured in 2014)
Illness: The star, best known for his role as Saint John in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, has died in Los Angeles after a long battle with lung cancer.
The film swept the 2002 David di Donatello Awards with nine wins, including Best Picture.
He then enjoyed a career in Italian film and television.
Jivkov played John opposite Jim Caviezel and Monica Bellucci in Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ in 2004.
He was expected to take part in the long-rumored sequel, which was rumored in January to start filming soon.
Australian director and actor Mel, 67, has previously mentioned on several occasions that the second film, titled The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection, has been in the works, but recent reports reveal that filming could finally begin in the spring of 2023.
According NewsmaxJim Caviezel will return as Jesus, while Mel will lead the way as director.
Passion Of The Christ earned a whopping $612 million worldwide on a comparatively small budget of $30 million, making it the highest-grossing R-rated film ever in the United States.
While the movie was undoubtedly a financial success, Mel and his team overcame their fair share of negative reviews.
Career: He also played Giovanni delle Bande Nere in Ermanno Olmi’s The Profession of Arms from 2001.
Life: Shortly after graduating from the Bulgarian Academy of Film and Theater, where he majored in film directing, he was cast in the lead role in The Profession of Arms.
Role: Expected to be in the long-rumored sequel to The Passion of the Christ, which in January was rumored to start filming soon (director Mel Gibson shown)
Some critics criticized the film for its excessive use of violence, while others claimed that the film strayed too far from the Biblical story on which it was based.
The film was also criticized by some viewers for portraying an anti-Semitic theme.
It’s unclear if the original star of the 2004 film, Monica Bellucci, who played Mary Magdalene, will reprise her roles.
A film about the resurrection of Christ called Risen was released in February, grossing $46 million worldwide on a $20 million budget.
In September 2016, Mel confirmed Work has begun on a sequel to his 2004 film.
He revealed that work has already begun on the blockbuster and Braveheart screenwriter Randall Wallace has already signed on to the project.
“Of course, that’s a big assignment, and you know, it’s not Passion 2. It’s called The Resurrection,” Mel said during an interview with Pastor Greg Laurie in SoCal. harvest crusade in California.
“Of course, that’s a very broad topic and it needs to be looked at because we don’t want to just do a representation of it, you know, read what happened,” he explained.
“But to be able to read it, experience it, and explore probably deeper meanings of what it’s about, it’s going to take some work, and Randall Wallace is up for the task.”
“He is also, in addition to a brilliant writer, a great director. He directed We Were Soldiers and Heaven Is For Real and stuff. So, he’s a good writer and director,” Mel added.
Randall Wallace has spoken about his desire to be in a follow-up film to Passion Of The Christ, telling the hollywood reporter: ‘I always wanted to tell this story. The Passion is the beginning and there is so much more story to tell,” she said.
The writer said they were interested because of the high demand among religious devotees who helped make the original film the highest-grossing independent film of all time.
He said: “The evangelical community considers The Passion to be the biggest movie in Hollywood, and they were telling us that they think a sequel will be even bigger.”
Since the smash hit of 2004, Mel has been through many life changes, including parting ways with ex-wife Robyn Moore, whom he was married to for thirty years and shared seven children.
Mel was previously in a relationship with Russian musician Oksana Grigorieva from 2009 to 2010, with whom he shares 13-year-old daughter Lucia.
He then met his long-time partner Rosalind when she signed on to co-write a script for his production company and they later began dating.
It was first revealed that he was in a relationship with Rosalind, a writer and former champion equestrian, in 2014, and he welcomed his ninth child, Lars, with her in 2016.
Controversial: The Australian director and actor, 67, has previously mentioned on several occasions that the second film, titled The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection, has been in the works.
Guidance: According to Newsmax, Jim Caviezel will return as Jesus, while Mel will lead the way as director (Mel is pictured right with Jim as Jesus)
The star’s career has experienced a resurgence of late with Hacksaw Ridge, garnering his first Oscar nomination in more than two decades.
Mel has previously spoken about his sobriety and in 2016 said that as a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, he has 10 years of sobriety under his belt.
He previously admitted that he spent many years in Alcoholics Anonymous and said he would not have survived otherwise.
They call it the spiritual path for the psychopath. They say there are only three options: go crazy, die or quit. That is the harsh reality. I’m a veteran at it,’ he told Good Weekend at the time.