Film Sponge

Over the past three days I’ve watched Braveheart, Apocalypto, and Passion of the Christ. I’ve been on a Mel Gibson kick, and I was just thinking about how much I would love to see him direct another time-period piece. You can say whatever you want about the guy, but Mel is a master storyteller, and one of the best directors we have today. You can guess how strange it was for me today when I read on Deadline that Mel Gibson and Showgirls writer Joe Eszterhas have teamed up to write a script based on Jewish hero warrior Judah Maccabee — who, along with his father and four brothers, led a revolt against the Seleucid Empire around 160 BCE. Sounds bad ass! I’m super excited. If all goes well, Mel Gibson is first in line to direct.

More after the jump.

According the /Film, this might have something to do with Gibson’s supposed anti-Semitic remarks, during his 2006 DUI arrest. Following that episode Gibson said:

The tenets of what I profess to believe necessitate that I exercise charity and tolerance as a way of life. Every human being is God’s child, and if I wish to honor my God I have to honor his children. But please know from my heart that I am not an anti-Semite. I am not a bigot. Hatred of any kind goes against my faith.

I’m not just asking for forgiveness. I would like to take it one step further, and meet with leaders in the Jewish community, with whom I can have a one on one discussion to discern the appropriate path for healing.

Either way, I’ve had a long standing belief that the relationship between an actor/director and the viewer, should only be our eyes and the movie screen. A filmmaker’s personal life shouldn’t get in the way of ones opinion of their work, and Mel Gibson is an amazing actor and an amazing film maker. I am very happy he is getting back into what he does best, and I hope it turns out well.

The movie will be produced through Mel Gibson’s Icon Productions for Warner Bros.

Source: [Deadline] [/Film]