Mel Gibson

Say you’ve decided to wring a sequel out of a popular but largely forgotten studio comedy vehicle for Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg. Do you go with The Other Guys, a glowingly reviewed and uproarious cop-movie spoof with plenty of natural potential for new stories in the never-ending backlog of police cases, not to mention a timely subtext in its pointed criticisms of greedy corporate types? No, you go with the one that made more money, which in this case happens to be Daddy’s Home, a family comedy about a nebbish competing with his new wife’s badass first husband for the love of her children.

When the 2017 Academy Award nominees were announced this morning, the list offered the usual array of snubs and surprises — the latter of which ranged from pleasant to baffling; Moonlight picked up eight nods and a record number of black actors were nominated (Oscars #NotSoWhite this year), while Passengers picked up two nods (they just had to give that movie something, didn’t they). As expected, many of this year’s picks feel “safe”; it says something when the most divisive nominee is a musical about jazz — or is it? Maybe the Academy’s La La Land love and its increased inclusivity are distracting from the low-key elephant in the room.

Mel Gibson is hardly one to judge the quality of someone’s personal life, but given his track record as a director, he is in a position to judge the quality of films — in any case, he’s certainly entitled to his opinions, just like the rest of us. And in news that will probably become a huge deal in certain conspiracy theory corners of Reddit, the actor and director has some harsh words for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

If you weren't beyond excited already for The Professor and the Madman, a film adaptation of a book about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary, get hyped, because Game of Thrones’ Natalie Dormer has joined the cast that includes Sean Penn and Mel Gibson.

Here comes another WWII film, but this one has a pretty distinct story. The latest directorial effort from Mel Gibson, ‘Hacksaw Ridge,’ follows the true story of a solider who refused to use a weapon on the battlefield.

Mel Gibson has spent the majority of his career playing variations of the same slightly unhinged character, so it was probably inevitable — even despite his well-deserved years in the Hollywood penalty box — that some producer would find occasion to cast him as a slightly unhinged dad. The new trailer for Blood Father shows Gibson ranting and raving as per usual, only this time he has an estranged daughter on the run to protect and a survivalist beard. The latter certainly seems like an upgrade.

Faith-based films have been riding a wildly successful wave for several years now, only recently stumbling a bit with the underwhelming box office returns for God’s Not Dead 2. And while that seemed to indicate that faithful audiences might not be too keen on sequels, Mel Gibson may very well prove that theory wrong as the actor and director is apparently plotting a sequel to The Passion of the Christ.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is loaded with great actors in supporting roles, from Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Douglas to upcoming additions like Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton. It’s names like those that help enrich the MCU; it’s harder to dismiss these movies as silly comic book fare when you have someone like Sir Anthony Hopkins playing Odin. As it turns out, that specific bit of casting wouldn’t have happened if Marvel went with an earlier choice: Mel Gibson.

Welp, if the movies weren’t going to take Mel Gibson back, you could bet he’d try the TV gold rush eventually, though perhaps not literally. Gibson will star in and produce a new series alongside Kurt Russell and Kate Hudson, following the 1849 Gold Rush of The Barbary Coast.

Blood Father is not a very good movie title, but there could be something to this new thriller starring Mel Gibson as a tattoo artist / biker badass / former convict / loving father. The first trailer offers a narrative familiar to anyone who’s seen a Liam Neeson action flick (and its many imitators), but Gibson’s wacky character description combined with a few shots seemingly lifted from Mad Max: Fury Road make Blood Father seem a bit more interesting than your average Red Box rental.