Article continues below advertisementMel Gibson is risking assassination from religious zealots and far-right extremists after casting a pro-abortion actress as the Virgin Mary in his new film The Resurrection of the Christ.The actor-turned-director, 69, is currently filming the sequel to his $612 million global hit The Passion of the Christ in Italy. But the production has been swept into a political storm following Gibson's decision to cast Kasia Smutniak, 46, as Mary, triggering outrage among conservative Christian groups across Europe, particularly in Poland.