‘Passion Of The Christ’ Star Christo Jivkov Dead At 48

Christo Jivkov, the Bulgarian actor who was best known for playing John the Apostle in Mel Gibson’s 2004 hit movie The Passion Of The Christ, died on Saturday after a lengthy battle with lung cancer. He was only 48 years-old. 

Jivkov Passes Away

Jivkov’s death was confirmed by Red Carpet Films, a Bulgarian company co-founded, saying in a statement that there were “no words to describe the pain of this loss.”

‘Today we lost our beloved friend and dear colleague Christo Jivkov, co-founder of “Red Carpet,” the statement said, according to KIRO7. “Wе are truly devastated by this untimed loss. We will never forget you!”

Daily Mail reported that Jivkov was born in 1975 in Sofia, Bulgaria, and he went on to major in film directing before graduating from the Bulgarian Film & Theater Academy.

Jivkov got his big break in acting when he was cast as the lead in the 2001 movie The Profession of Arms, which swept the 2002 David di Donatello Awards with nine wins, including Best Film. This led to a successful career in Italian cinema and television for Jivkov. 

International fame came for Jivkov when he was cast as John the Apostle alongside Jim Caviezel and Monica Bellucci in Gibson’s The Passion Of the Christ in 2004. Some critics slammed the movie for being too violent while others saw it as anti-semitic, but the movie was still a massive hit, garnering $370.7 million after being made for just $30 million, according to The Wrap. 

Rumored Passion Of The Christ Sequel 

Jivkov was expected to star in the film’s long-rumored sequel, with rumors swirling in January that it was about to start filming this spring.

“Of course, that is a huge undertaking, and you know, it’s not the Passion 2. It’s called The Resurrection,” Gibson said back in 2016. “Of course, that’s a very big subject and it needs to be looked at because we don’t want to just do a simple rendering of it – you know, read what happened.”

“But in order to read it, experience and explore probably deeper meanings of what it’s about, it’s going to take some doing and Randall Wallace is up to the task,” he added, referring to the film’s writer. “He is also, as well as a brilliant writer, he is a great director. He directed We Were Soldiers and Heaven Is For Real and stuff. So, he is a good writer and director.”

Related: Mel Gibson Making Sequel To ‘Passion Of The Christ’ – ‘Starting Filming’ This Year

Wallace And Caviezel Speak Out

Wallace told The Hollywood Reporter in 2016 that he “always wanted to tell this story. The Passion is the beginning and there’s a lot more story to tell.”

“The evangelical community considers The Passion the biggest movie ever out of Hollywood, and they kept telling us that they think a sequel will be even bigger,” he continued. 

Caviezel, who played Jesus Christ in The Passion Of The Christ, said in 2020 that a sequel was in the works and that it would be “the biggest film in world history.”

“Mel Gibson just sent me the third picture, the third draft,” he added, according to The Sun. “It’s coming.” 

Related: Major Prediction For ‘Passion Of The Christ’ Sequel Has Christians Cheering!

While we’re eagerly looking forward to this sequel, it’s sad that Jivkov will not be a part of it. He was far too young to die at 48, so please join us in saying a prayer for his family and friends during this difficult time.