Friday, September 09, 2011

Mel Gibson meets Judah the Maccabee

MEL GIBSON MEETS JUDAH THE MACCABEE:
Mel Gibson and Warner Bros. developing Jewish hero epic

September 8, 2011 | 4:48 pm (LA Times)

Mel Gibson, the Oscar winner who has defended himself against accusations of anti-Semitism, is developing a film for Warner Bros. about the life of Judah Maccabee, the warrior whose ancient victory is celebrated by Hanukkah.
There was a rumor back in 2004 that this might be his next project, but nothing came of it at the time.

It gets better:
Gibson's Icon Productions has closed the producing deal with Warner Bros., and Joe Eszterhas will write the screenplay. Gibson's camp said the filmmaker will decide if he's directing after the script is done and that he has not ruled out the possibility that he could act in the film.

Maccabee ("Maccabee?"—Ed.), his four brothers and his father led the Jewish revolt against the Greek-Syrian armies. The role of his father, the priest Mattathias, might be a logical one for the 55-year-old Gibson if he does opt to appear in the film.

[...]
He's also about the right age for Antiochus Epiphanes. Just a thought.

This should be entertaining. Watch this space.