Genre: Apocalyptic Fantasy / Historical Drama / Supernatural Action
Tone: Epic, Philosophical, Darkly Satirical
Tagline: “Vengeance is mine, saith the Lordโand it’s time.”
Logline:
At the moment of his crucifixion, Jesus of Nazareth prophecies his returnโnot as a lamb, but as a lion. In his Second Coming, he descends in fire and fury, judging the emperors of ancient Rome and casting the wicked into Mount Etnaโhellโs mouth on Earth. Only two emperors are spared: Julius Caesar for his raw genius, and Marcus Aurelius for his stoic virtue. But Caligula, Nero, and the rest? Judgment day has come.
Opening Scene:
Jerusalem, 33 A.D.
On the cross, as storm clouds gather and the Earth trembles, Jesus lifts his head, blood trickling from the crown of thorns. He looks eastโbeyond the Roman banners, beyond timeโand his eyes fix upon Mount Etna. With thunder rolling, he declares:
โYou mock me now. But when I return, I will not come to be judged. I will come to judge.
I will return in fire, and every tyrant of this empireโexcept the wise Julius and the just Aureliusโwill be cast into the volcano of justice.
Watch out, Caligula.โ
Lightning splits the sky.
Act I: The Return
Setting: Present-day Sicily, near Mount Etna. A secret Vatican excavation team uncovers a scroll in a sealed chamber beneath the lava rockโwritten in ancient Aramaic. It’s Jesus’ final unrecorded sermon, a prophecy of vengeance. Pope Clement IX, a reformist haunted by Church corruption, begins to have visionsโJesus, glowing like molten gold, walking the Earth again.
Meanwhile, global earthquakes and volcanoes begin erupting. Mt. Etna starts to awaken.
Subplot:
A team of historians and theologiansโincluding a skeptical archaeologist (Dr. Eva Ben-David), a rogue Jesuit priest (Father Lucius), and a disillusioned former U.S. Marine turned relic hunter (Joe Jukic)โbegin connecting the dots.
Act II: The Judgment
Jesus returnsโnot in robes, but in light and flame. His feet do not touch the Earth; he walks on molten rivers. He is kind to children and the poorโbut wrath incarnate toward tyrants. Across space and time, he opens the Book of Blood and begins calling forth the dead emperors of Rome from their crypts and cursed afterlives.
Marcus Aurelius is spared and speaks with Jesus, asking, โWhat is justice without wisdom?โ
Jesus replies, โWisdom bought with blood must still face truth.โ
Julius Caesar is resurrected briefly for trialโbut Jesus tells him, โYou knew the limits of power. You died before you became a god.โ He is allowed to rest.
But then:
- Caligula, smug and dressed in gold, dares to laugh at Jesus.
- Nero, with a burning violin in hand, sings his sins like opera.
- Commodus, robed in lion skin, offers Christ the Colosseum.
Each is judgedโshown visions of their atrocities, and, one by one, cast into the roaring cauldron of Etna.
Jesus whispers, โThis is the fire you lit. Now taste it.โ
Act III: Revelation
Lucifer himself appearsโdisguised as a Roman senatorโattempting to bargain. He tempts Jesus to spare the emperors, arguing the Empire is reborn today in new forms: in corporate greed, authoritarian regimes, and broken justice systems.
Jesus stands firm.
โI am not your pawn. I am the sword.โ
Jesus commands Etna to rise. The mountain explodesโnot just with lava, but with the souls of martyrs and victims of imperial violence. The heavens open. Angels and archangels descend, wielding flaming swords.
In a final confrontation, the unrepentant emperors try to escape judgment. Caligula pleads, โBut I was mad!โ Jesus responds, โYou reveled in madness.โ
All are cast into the fire.
Epilogue:
In the smoldering ash, Jesus walks alone. Children gather at his side. The world is silent, waiting.
He looks again at the cameraโthe audienceโand says:
โThis was only Rome.
Now we speak of Washington.
Of Beijing.
Of Jerusalem.โ
Fade to black. A heartbeat. Then silence.
Post-Credit Scene:
A secret bunker in the Alps. A hologram of Caligula flickers to life on a black-market AI interface. A billionaire cult leader whispers, โWe will resurrect the Empire.โ
A single word appears on-screen:
โRevelation: Part IIโ