Irony alert: Mel Gibson to make Jewish hero movie

Notorious for his anti-Semitic rants, Gibson is developing a movie about Judah Maccabee — one of the greatest warriors in Jewish lore The story: Mel Gibson is — surprise, surprise — once again courting controversy. Deadline Hollywood reports that Gibson, widely reviled for his drunken 2006 tirade against Jews, is working with Warner Bros. and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas (Basic Instinct) to bring the story of the second-century-B.C. Jewish warrior Judah Maccabee, who led the revolt against the Greco-Syrian empire, to the big screen. Gibson will produce — and possibly star in and direct — the film. "This subject matter is a decided departure for the filmmaker famous for directing The Passion of the Christ," says Mike Fleming at Deadline, though Gibson has reportedly been interested in the story for years. The reaction: Casting Gibson as "Judah Maccabee is like casting [Bernie] Madoff to be the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or a white supremacist trying to portray Martin Luther King Jr," says Rabbi Marvin Heir in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. Yes, it is strange, says John Young at Entertainment Weekly. But it sounds like this is happening, so "hold onto your yarmulkes!" Well, maybe it's just a last-ditch effort, says Sean O'Neal at The Onion's A.V. Club. "The Jews already kind of hate him," so perhaps this is "like a double jeopardy, nothing-left-to-lose, nowhere-to-go-but-up sort of thing."

news.yahoo.com...

i have no idea why this would be a popular movie...it is rather funny/ironic isnt it?

Looks like all of the pressure, threats and exposure of his personal life... Especially his domestic abuse has paid off for the Jewish lobby.

Mel, messed with the wrong customers.. Appeasement is the only way back now.

Wise PR move on his part.

reply to post by CaDreamer

It's kind of like Philip Morris (Owner of Philip Morris Internation Tobacco company)
and his Anti-Smoking Ads. lol

Ok... sorry to say it Mel Gibson but we have Russell Crowe now so...

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/1dcc4ba3feb4.jpg[/atsimg]

Yeah, Russel Crowe should do it.
Or Denzel.

The Hannakuh story is great material for an epic movie. And Gibson has proven in the past that he can put out a very solid epic movie (I'm referring more to Braveheart than anything else). Gibson has tended to flip his middle finger to the Hollywood establishment. His press coverage is his punishment. I admire Gibson for continuing to come back and be successful, even as the media does whatever they can to tear him down.

He is the most prominent of many stars who have been given the hatchet job for daring to criticize the corrupted world of Hollywood. The list includes Charlie Sheen, Martin Lawrence, Dave Chapelle, and many more.

I, for one, am likely to go see it.

reply to post by CaDreamer


i love that the internet has given way to the practice of people commenting on movies they haven't seen or in this case have no yet been made. the good Rabbi is entitled to speak his mind, of course. as long as i never have to see Mr. Gibson rape and torture Shakespeare again i will die happy.

call me kookie but i'd guess that Mel has made the kind of rolling green that would allow him to never work again if that was his choice. Gibson's had a long successful career, the bulk of it unmarred by the likes of the tabloid press until the infamous drunk driving rant & rave. surely he made and put aside a fat stack of cash over the years.

like many actors i'd imagine Mel Gibson's primary thrust is that big, fat ego that sent him down the acting path to begin with. there are many who have skill in the arts, but not all crave attention so deeply that they make being in the public eye a priority in the subconscious.

maybe we need to remember that people grow and change all through their lives. raised a Catholic (to the best of my knowledge) Mr. Gibson has had to deal with all sorts of conflict and guilt all his life. there is lots of mind control that goes along with practices and beliefs that are started when one is young. atonement comes in many forms. maybe this is one of them.

"The Passion of the Christ" doesn't qualify as a Jewish hero movie?

:p

I kinda saw this coming as soon as I heard what The Beaver was about. Gibson has become so meta that even his choice of project is now telling a story.

This comeback idea is awfully bold, but I think Gibson deserves a second chance. Religious folk tend to forget they're supposed to be a forgiving bunch.

reply to post by CaDreamer


Personally, I can always separate the finished art from the folks that make it. If the movie is done well, I'll judge it on that merit...not the idiocy of those that made it.

For example, regardless of what you think of Mel, the movie The Passion of the Christ was pretty powerful and epic, for example.

Likewise, I can enjoy watching and appreciating Rosemary's Baby, even though Polanski's a pedophile rapist.

What I DON'T get is how Hollywood can still stand by some of these folks, after these things come out. I mean, I get holding up the art for what it is, but by the same token, these people should be shunned, not celebrated, despite their contributions to the art.

What I DON'T get is how Hollywood can still stand by some of these folks, after these things come out. I mean, I get holding up the art for what it is, but by the same token, these people should be shunned, not celebrated, despite their contributions to the art.

Well one thing I know hollywood loves to do is take credit for things it had little to nothing to do with. Even though I hate "things ain't what they used to be" type lines I have to admit that they produce large amounts of schlock at the moment. I suspect they form Faustian bonds with many filmmakers. "You give us credit where it isn't due and we will fix your PR problems for you."

And so even the worst pariahs will be trotted out as hollywood's triumphs. Then they go back to making smurfs 2 or transformers 10 or whatever.

Originally posted by LargeFries
reply to post by CaDreamer

 

the good Rabbi is entitled to speak his mind, of course. as long as i never have to see Mr. Gibson rape and torture Shakespeare again i will die happy.

.

Huh, memory refresh please? Gibson in a Shakespear story?

Gotta say I was umpressed with POTC and even moreso with Apocalypto. I'll give it a whirl, when it's on TV or DVD.

Originally posted by Chukkles
Huh, memory refresh please? Gibson in a Shakespear story?

Hamlet

Actually, it's not bad. Mel was a bit long in the tooth for the part, but did a good job with it, IMO.