Mel Gibson Returns
It appears Mel Gibson will be putting on his acting shoes once again. We get the following scoop from the fabled caves of Yahoo:
Mel Gibson, who has kept a low profile since his drunken anti-Semitic outburst in July 2006, is set to headline his first feature film since 2002, Daily Variety reported on Tuesday. The 52-year-old Hollywood actor has committed to play a police investigator in “Edge of Darkness,” a thriller based on a 1985 BBC miniseries, the trade publication said.
Gibson will find himself on the other side of the law in “Edge of Darkness,” playing a straitlaced cop who uncovers systemic corruption while investigating the death of his activist daughter, Daily Variety said. Mel Gibson made a titanic fuck up and really deserved all the negative attention that he got. If you are going to drive drunk and then start spitting racist venom at cops; you are going to pay.
I think part of the reason the outburst received so much attention, is because it was totally unexpected. Mel had a squeaky clean, good guy image and sold himself as a moral, upright man that makes films about Jesus. When the shit hit the fan, everyone was reeling from the comments; and the surprising source. If a known Hollywood badboy/girl made the comments they may have fizzled much sooner. But People felt duped because Mel Gibson was supposed to be a good guy.
I am not sure if people are ready to see a Mel Gibson film again, but there’s only one way to find out. The scandal hurt the box office earnings and reception of what I consider to be a masterwork in Apocalypto; will the curse live on to haunt this project too?
If the scandal continues to dog the star, I think it may be best for him to stay behind the directors chair and/or retire altogether. There is no shame in retirement, and this scandal may have been the push he needed to relax, unwind, stay out of the spotlight, and learn to live in peace with all.
International friends, what do you think? Should Gibson get back in the game? Will people welcome him anew; or continue to shun him?
16 Comments, Comment or Ping
Rodney
I think Apocalypto hurt itself. It was so unique and had limited appeal.
The trailer looked awesome to me and I was excited about the project and then didnt see it. Not even rental. This had nothing to do with his drunken outburst (I tend to be forgiving of things done when drunk)
The movie was a niche market to begin with. Most people couldnt understand why I wanted to see apocalypto.
Apr 29th, 2008
Kristina
That picture never ceases to terrify me.
Apr 29th, 2008
Edvin
Seriously I dont buy it that he ever made those remarks.
I mean he got attacked again and again that Passion was anit semetic though it followed the gospel to the letter.
Sure lets just call the entire New Testament Anti-Semetic.
And later he gets arrested and a story is published that he was spewing anti-semtic venom.
I smell a Rat.
Apr 29th, 2008
DJ Machismo
I’d like to see him back doing movies in his acting shoes.
I just loved his movies and don’t really care about his outburst all that much.
He’s a talented guy, if people don’t want to watch his movies based off of a comment or two as opposed to a careers worth of good movies, well that’s their loss.
Apr 29th, 2008
Rodney
@Edvin, AntiSemetic means prejudice and hostility toward Jews as a religious, racial, or ethnic group.
While the New Testiment doesn’t directly attack them (though there are examples of OT followers being rebuked) it totally changes the message in the book.
So the New Testiment is antiJew because it gives clear instructions about what to do with the Old Testament laws. Jews dont believe in it.
Just sayin.
Apr 29th, 2008
Gutpunch
Apocalypto made nearly 120 million worldwide and was critically acclaimed where ever it went. I don’t think that’s too bad.
But I think Rodney is right that it was more to do with the fact that it had no stars and was in a language that required subtitles. And we all know how Americans feel about subtitles, they’re there to watch a movie, not to read damn it.
Apr 29th, 2008
Doug Nagy
Apocalypto rocked my balls.
All of the above points are true, and could have had more to do with the film’s take than the scandal. But I still think the scandal took its toll.
We need more films that focus on hunter/gatherers.
Apr 29th, 2008
tobor68
apocalypto is just too underrated, it’s extraordinary. consider one of his contemporaries second film: waterworld.
gibson has apologized for his comments and seems reticent. he was drunk and angry (if he did say it) and if any hater has ever been drunk and angry too, then they know the dumb shit that can flow from one’s mouth.
let’s forgive and move on.
Apr 29th, 2008
Wormwood
Roddo:
While you could argue that The New Testament is anti-religious *law*- saying that the New Testament in and of itself is anti [insert any human] is to completely miss the context.
While that message has been exploited by dickheads over the ages, NT’s message of humanity’s unity is hard to deny.
And for on track discussion, Apocolypto was awesome.
Apr 29th, 2008
Jay
Mel needs to come back…I miss him. Despite the scandal he faced, to him it’s like Teflon he seems to withstand most of the attack.
He actually needs to come back as an actor…just one more time.
Apr 29th, 2008
Joe
I really didn’t care about the comments. Lots of people have awful opinions, including actors. I mean some of them are cohorting with Hugo Chavez - a thief and a bully who shut down a television network because it did not support him.
Anyhow, I like a lot of Mel’s films, including Apocalypto, so I’m hoping he makes a successful come back.
Apr 29th, 2008
Jeremy
I think this is good news that he is actually going to act again. I enjoy the things this man does. I was probably one of the few people who took what he said with a grain of salt. He was drunk so yeah. I don’t know. I hope to see him get back on his feet in the industry, and I hope people can learn to forgive something like that.
Apr 29th, 2008
miles
i am fine with gibson coming back BUT i do not understand why he would take such a cookie cutter/lame sounding project when he has been cranking out such original films.
Apr 29th, 2008
GODFATHER
Good news, and the movie seems to have a good plot to it. It’ll be great to see Gibson back again. I do agree that with most of what everyone is saying (”let’s forgive and move on”). We’ll never know for sure that he said those things, but the man did apologize for his actions, and has sought help. Give him the benefit of the doubt. Many Jews in Hollywood already did.
Just as a reference point, Semitic does not only refer to the Jewish people. It’s the area that’s important ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitic )
Apr 29th, 2008
EZELL
Who cares if is hates jews the man can act and bring in a crowd.
Apr 29th, 2008
Nicky
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The guy was being unfair, not truthful. And it was a once in a lifetime event that shouldn’t be misrepresented as the opposite, a characteristic trait.
I don’t think anyone could honestly say they wouldn’t feel attacked if ever arrested, even if the reason is just. And alcohol doesn’t just make it easier to speak truths, it can lower our threshhold in the exact opposite way and make us become unfair, take a cheapshot when we feel attacked and cornered. Just like alcohol isn’t intelligent enough to effect the functioning of just one leg, it can’t selectively effect the mental standards we apply, it effects our threshhold in general, blurs our vision in general and makes us do all sorts of stupid things we normally would not agree with. Drunks reveal truths? Yes, the above is what is revealed.
May 2nd, 2008
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