On March 11th, Mel Gibson and New Market Films plan to release The Passion Recut to 500-750 movie screens around the country.

The new cut of the film removes five to six minutes of the most violent scenes, specifically the scourging scene. Bruce Davey, Gibson’s partner in Icon Productions commented that, "there are no new scenes, and the cuts are limited to the more violent aspects of the film, if that's the right term.”

Reportedly, the goal is to reach an audience who may have been turned away by the violence but would still like to see the film.

The Passion Recut is scheduled to run in theaters through Easter. Davey also noted that this may be the beginning of a yearly release for The Passion.