Jim Caviezel, who famously starred as Jesus in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, is playing ex-Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro in a biopic written by his former Culture Secretary.
The movie, Dark Horse, appears to be painting a positive portrait of one of Brazil’s most controversial political figures of all time. Bolsonaro’s son Carlos posted a photo on X of himself with Caviezel in costume as his father. “I know your legacy will continue to be admired by good people and envied by those who seek destruction – yet the message you imprint with every step leaves its mark on the world,” he wrote.
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According to World of Reel, the film started shooting three months ago, was shot in English and is described as being a “heroic” portrait of Bolsonaro. It appears to be based on Bolonaro’s 2018 campaign for the presidency. It is directed by Cyrus Nowraste and written by Mário Frias, who was Bolsonaro’s Culture Secretary.
The news comes a fortnight after Brazil’s supreme court ordered that Bolsonaro begin serving a prison sentence of 27 years and three months for plotting a coup after he lost the last election. The controversial figure was close with Donald Trump and Trump has criticized his arrest and incarceration.
Caviezel’s past credits include The Thin Red Line and The Count of Monte Cristo. The devout Christian is probably best known for playing Jesus in Gibson’s Passion of the Christ, after which he did less mainstream Hollywood work. In 2023, he appeared in the controversial Sound of Freedom and was seen at a number of QAnon-affiliated events.
Deadline has reached out to Caviezel’s reps.
