Early reviews suggest a new biblical epic hitting theaters this week is picking up where "The Passion of the Christ" left off. "Risen" tells the story of Jesus' crucifixion through the eyes of Clavius, a Roman military officer who is on a mission to prove the resurrection did not happen. Actor Joseph Fiennes stars as Clavius. "A big attraction for me was the way his mind worked, but to get to his mind I found I had to take a physical route. I went to gladiator school in Rome. I stayed long enough to never want to go back," he told CBN News. "I spent the good part of a week working with a brilliant set of guys, and what I learned from a military standpoint was a way into the man was conditioned and the way that he thought," he said. Clavius is an ambitious Roman soldier who first tries to keep Christ's body from being stolen after his crucifixion. He then sets out on an angry journey to find the body after it disappears from the sealed and guarded tomb. He's a bit of a detective. Director Kevin Reynolds shot the film in Spain and Malta, where Fiennes had no contact with the actor who played Christ until their first scenes together. "We had a wonderful team of actors, and they were all very present and dedicated to the narrative. Like any great narrative in any great movie, it's about relationships," Fiennes shared. "I think your average good actor gets that and knows it and preps accordingly." "So, the disciples as a group of actors were incredibly bonded. They were a unit and a family. And I was very much polarized and outside of that, but when I got invited into the group, it was kind of like the arc of the film was the arc of my existence with them," he continued. "I wouldn't have contact with them until we had made those scenes where we had contact. So that became quite emotional that journey," he said. "I think a big component in the movie for me and what I connect to with Clavius is the sense of the second chance, even if it is in the subconscious, which hasn't quite bubbled to the surface or he has worked out, so I love that component." That second chance is exactly why Christ suffered, died and was "Risen." "Risen" opens in theaters February 19.