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EXCLUSIVE: I’m hearing from myriad insiders that Summit Entertainment has scheduled the Jodie Foster-directed film The Beaver starring Mel Gibson for Spring of 2011. Once the studio decided not to give the film an Oscar qualifying run, it was just a question of when the best release date was. I also hear that Entertainment Tonight is airing the trailer on Friday night’s show. The film was supposed to debut in 2010 but the studio delayed when Mel’s rants against his ex-girlfriend became a matter of public record. But Jodie has described Gibson’s performance as ”one of his most powerful and moving performances”. (Although Gibson has 2 Oscars at home for directing and producing 1995’s Braveheart, he has never been nominated for his acting.) In the film, Gibson plays a father who walks around talking to a beaver hand puppet. In the fall, a CBS News/Vanity Fair poll that found 76% of respondents saying Gibson’s personal troubles would have no effect on whether they would see one of his movies. Though Hollywood has a history of forgiving the man and not forgetting the moviemaker (Elia Kazan, Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, Oliver Stone), it’s not clear what the public thinks. Summit faced a difficult dilemma given Gibson’s domestic disputes and the alleged racial slurs and sexist epithets and alleged physical and verbal abuse of his girlfriend that’s come out from behind closed doors. However, it’s long been my stated belief that, if a litmus test were given for behavior, nobody would ever work in showbiz again. Ever since he made The Passion of the Christ, audiences have rewarded Gibson with their moviegoing loyalty despite his personal travails. Trust me, Mel’s base is still out there. When I revealed that Gibson’s agency WME Entertainment had fired him because Mel allegedly used the “n-word” racial slur during a private domestic quarrel, 50% of all the comments flooding in to Deadline were willing to give Gibson the benefit of the doubt and defend him.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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CHARLIE SHEEN, ALEC BALDWIN, BOBBY BROWN, BILL CLINTON, JESSE JACKSON
that’s enough for a start. When I see anyone of those sexist reprobates out of work and vilified THEN and only then will I
justify anyone throwing a stone at Mel Gibson.
HOLLYWOOD THY NAME IS HYPOCRISY!
Mel speaks his mind. Everyone here wants to limit Free Speech. After all, censorship is everywhere. The gov’t (and their big business cronies) censor free speech, shut down dissent and ban the book “America Deceived II”. Free speech for all.
Last link (before Google Books bans it also]:
America Deceived II (book)
I love it; this time it’s the Conservatives and the uber-religious community whose hearts bleed for Gibson (perhaps because he speaks what’s on their minds) while it’s the the Liberals who are digging in. What’s being forgotten is that this is Jodie Foster’s film, not Mel’s. She’s a good director, she has integrity, and she’s standing by her co-star in a town where bad news leaves skid marks on friendships. Although the film’s logline sounds derivative, perhaps the approach is fresh.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but I’m liberal and think Mel deserves the benefit of the doubt. Liberals are generally compassionate people who believe that most deserve a second chance — even if they don’t share your ideology.
I think you’re confusing liberals with radical politically correct nutbags, who are just as disgusting as their teabag counterparts.
Kind of reminds me of Mr. Garrison on South Park.
I just hope his character is not “like” Mr. Garrison.
This guy is an alcoholic. he is also a conservative. He is also very religious. He makes some duds, but also some very powerful movies.
His words and his behavior are not unusual for a drunk. That does not excuse them. It’s only an explanation, because his usual demeanor is friendly and engaging. So what to do.
If you are deeply offended by him, don’t see his movies. If you can look past his personal flaws, see the ones that are well reviewed. Most actors have rather low moral standards, so it may be useful to keep that in mind.
In the end, most movies are pretty mundane, and now with video and web release you can see more of the lousy movies. It really pays to see the few very best movies and TV shows and ignore the rest. There is just so much product on TV and Cable, it is possible to choose only really excellent shows.
But, in response to some of the comments, please loose the tradition that only men can be abusers. Women, elderly, teens, gay couples all can be abusers.
see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_violence
It is never right to strike any human or animal.
I cant wait too see it.. His private life is just that private. What went on behind closed doors should stay there. His ex clearly set him up.
I am not only going to see the film, but I am going to buy several extra tickets on behalf of the self righteous, judgmental people on this board.
Really.
I feel bad for the writer–first he places number one on The Black List with this script which is a very quirky and interesting piece to which Steve Carrell was first attached..then he gets Mel and the baggage he brings. Anyway, I can’t stand Gibson the man but the movie should’nt be hung out to dry because of his behavior, but it should rise or fall on its merits as a film. So, even though I hate to “support” Gibson in any way, I am curious to see the movie. As to Foster, her track record is very spotty as a director, but again the material was very good.
I can remember a story about a man who was asked what should be done with a woman who had been caught red handed in a sin that by law was to be punished by stoning. His reply was that whoever was without sin should cast the first stone. I’m not going to.
Mel Gibson may not be your typical Hollywood PC idiot, but he’s a great entertainer. And his using the “N” word is a joke. Half of the “N’s” out there use it as a comma. PC is destroying the world.
slapping a woman completely depends on the situation…just ask another real man, Sean Connery:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo0d1zTAFKA
At least he says what he really thinks and answers honestly.
Tell me, all you men out there, do you think the feminist movement has made you better or worse men? I mean, are you exuding manliness now that women have taken your place in society? Do you feel like a man when women open the doors for themselves? Do you feel more of a man when a woman is your boss? How about them trousers on the ladies? You feel more like a man around them now? Do you think women behave better than they did before they were given “sufferage” and equal opportunities, and such?
All you people for equal rights for women out there… how does it feel to be liberated? How does it feel to be a breadwinner while your marriage falls apart? How does it feel to not only be paid less than your husband (most of the time) but then your husband is making less than he should? How does it feel to juggle your children from this daycare, to the babysitter, to the grandparents? Do you feel “free” and “liberated?”
Look at Sean Connery here. Here’s a man that thinks in CERTAIN CASES it’s appropriate to slap a woman. Well, I have to say, as a woman, I don’t disagree with him. Clearly, slapping and punching with a closed fist are two totally different things. If I slapped your groin region, it would feel like a love tap, but if I punched you in the groin region, you would be able to tell out there, gentlemen, ya think?
I observe, that women generally behave badly now, and when men asserted their authority in the home as men, women behaved better. Am I wrong? I dunno, put a woman from 1900 in today’s world, and what would her reaction be? I think she would die of shock.
–Coming from a woman, so don’t call me a misogynist. Doesn’t wash. I’m a -real- feminist. I am not for enslaving women to the workplace away from their natural place which is in the home.
Gordon, sounds like you’re in the minority in this case although you bring up some good general points. Mel is sick, so I cut him some slack. Besides he’s had a long run of being a good person. No one is perfect.
Trust you?
Why should anyone trust someone who publishes to the web and doesn’t run spell check or review his copy for errors?
Duh!
Why exactly is Elia Kazan lumped in with Woody and Roman?
I will never see a film that the virgin mother has anything to do with.
“How come Charlie Sheen gets away with his violent bevaior against women?”
His dad was the president.
Only idiots believe that Mel is all to blame with that crazy
relationship. He was married for many years to the same women
and she stood up for him even though they were no longer together.
He has had substance abuse problems for years. If you listen to
the tapes you can tell that they were doctor to cast him in the
worst light and make her seem to be just so innocent. I think he
sounds horrible but I think every single one of us has flipped
out on someone at one time or another and if it was taped and put onthe TV we would sound as bad or worse. Mel is a great talent and you can’t ignore his talent because of some personal problems he has displayed. There is alot of performers that have had these same problems. Use somecommon sense and look in the mirror. As far as the abuse part we don’t know about the physical
that was said by her certainly he engaged in some verbal abuse.
It is not condoned and he has sought treatment for his problems.
Ever since MAD MAX I’ll see all Mel’s stuff. In the movie The Year of
Living Dangerously he slam it out of the park. The Passion blew me away.Lethal Weapons just made me feel good.Idiots I won’t patronize
are losers like Sean Penn, Barbara Striesand, and now Ron Howard.
Mel loves this country for what it offers, they loathe it for what
they thinkof it.
Shhh! Don’t tell him that the beaver is a jew!
Isn’t Hollywood a funny place to start a blacklist?
You all realize that regardless of what the public thinks, Mel Gibson will still get a tuna fish endorsement. He also knows that cats and robots will someday become one. He isn’t one to shy way from a good lolligag session, either. Also, he is surely not the first star to go gnome-hunting on a midnight escapade. I don’t think we should cut him slack – he is a total nimrod – but let’s realize he will surely adopt a monkey named Koko before Tu Bishvat.
We love you Mel! To hell with their double standards!!
This is a bit of a conundrum for me. I’m no great fan of Mel Gibson, and certainly don’t condone the racist and sexist comments he reportedly made during his DUI arrest, but I do understand that addicts and alcoholics sometimes behave in stupid, hurtful, and self-destructive ways. I will not condemn anyone for being sick, no matter how awful their comments. And yes, I do think his Russian girlfriend deserves the “golddigger” label some have slapped on her; something tells me she had dollar signs in her eyes as she goaded Gibson into those tape-recorded rants. Since she obviously gave them to the media – for a while there it seemed like there was a new one every day – she must have had an agenda. Even so, I don’t condone Gibson’s behavior during those calls. Finally, to get right down to it, Gibson’s religious beliefs don’t sit easily with me, but then nobody’s do – I’m an agnostic.
But still, I find it interesting that a man with so many supposedly “wacko” opinions and beliefs should be close friends with Jodi Foster. If Gibson is really so terribly intolerant and bigoted, you’d think that Foster would be the last person he could count among his friends. Something tells me that there’s a lot more to Gibson than just the bad behavior and crackpot comments. I’m guessing that serious alcoholism and some kind of bi-polar disorder have something to do the current messiness.
In the meantime, if you look at the filmmaking craft that went into “Passion,” you know there’s a formidable creative intelligence at work. In other words, Mel Gibson isn’t just some washed-up hunk of beef (Hoff? Are you listening?). The man’s got some real depth to go along with those real troubles.
Then we have “The Beaver.” I was lucky enough to read this script way back when, and it’s terrific. Yes, it has a quirky premise, but it works. Funny and poignant, with an uplifting message. In fact, if you crossed the heavy-handed “American Beauty” with the frothier “Little Miss Sunshine” (both of which cover some of the same territory as “The Beaver”) you’d be in the ballpark. When I read the script, I made a mental note to go see the film if it ever got produced. Mind you, I was picturing Ricky Gervais in the lead, not ol’ Blue Mouth… but that’s not so say that Gibson can’t make it his own. As long as he can do a credible English accent, he should be okay.
So what happens if the movie turns out to be as terrific as the script? One could understand audiences taking a pass on “Apocalypto,” coming as it did on the heels of Gibson’s DUI arrest (it probably didn’t help that the film wasn’t in English, either). But if “The Beaver” is true to its screenplay, it might just lure people into the theaters, even given the “Mel factor.” It may even come to be seen as Gibson’s comeback movie. One only hopes that he’ll stay dry and learn to curb his tongue.
Dear Ian–Many thanks for your intelligent, thoughtful, incisive account of Mel Gibson and the media circus that has erupted for far too long about his “misdeeds”. Besides his friendship with the lovely Jodie Foster, another formidable personality–Whoopi Goldberg–had the courage to state on her TV show “The View” that she too is good friends with the much-maligned actor/director and, moreover, announce that he is NOT a racist. Hopefully, anyone who believes the validity of his former Russian sweetheart’s vicious attempt to destroy him (by releasing those curiously “doctored” tapes”) watched the golddigger’s 60-minute interview on the Larry King show last week; even with her lawyer by her side, she continually contradicted herself and her account of what happened (and she had no need to; Larry King is known for his gentle interviews and only pitching “softball” questions to his guests). On a personal note, I got to know Mr. Gibson quite well in 1982-83 when I was a Senior Publicist at MGM/UA in NYC and was in charge of his p.r. schedule when the studio flew him to the city for 2 one-week periods to promote “The Year of Living Dangerously”. The first week he came alone and, not knowing anyone in NYC, I often had dinner with him or invited him for dinner at friends’ apartments; the second week, just prior to that movie’s nationwide opening (big mistake on the part of the MGM brass; the movie was an arthouse attraction and should have been platformed), he was accompanied by his delightful wife Robin, and they proudly showed us pictures of their unpretentious house in Sydney and of their two toddlers. I had handled publicity for countless actors, but Mel was one of my favorites: a compassionate, highly intelligent young gentleman and family man with a charmingly keen sense of humor. His co-stars in the movie, Mike Murphy and Linda Hunt, adored him, as did the entire staff of MGM and every single reporter or movie critic who interviewed. He was most definitely NOT a bigot, an alcoholic, anti-Semitic, homophobic, etc. I realize people change over the period of years, but I have great difficulty reconciling the wonderful person I spent quite a bit of time with nearly 30 years ago with the rabid monster portrayed by today’s morbid media. Nor have I read one sympathetic suggestion that what has happened to Mel Gibson has happened to men (and women) since the beginning of time. Like it or not, it makes perfect sense for a man of middle-age to go thru a midlife crisis. Isn’t it a distinct possibility that when Mel met this attractive younger woman, he simply fell madly in love with her (and allegedly spent a fortune helping her launch her singing career, among other perks). When he finally realized her true nature, she broke his heart, and his volcanic eruption becomes understandable, if not pleasant to a public thirsting for celebrity gossip. In spite of everything (and a similar public flogging inflicted on Woody Allen whose movies I publicized from 1975-1980 and I still cherish the memories of working with Woody and Diane Keaton) and whatever his troubles may be, I still admire and respect Mel Gibson and sincerely hope he finds the happiness and peace he so richly deserves.
Thank YOU, Scott. When I posted my comment there were just a few other comments here, but now there are well over a hundred – which shows just how many people have strong feelings about Mel Gibson. I appreciate your painting a fuller portrait of the man – as you personally knew him – helping to balance out the tirades of those claim (among other things) that he’s a saint, a depraved bigot, a victim of a Jewish smear campaign, a wife-beater… well, I could go on, but you get the picture. Oh, how we all (I’m including myself here) love to jump to the most facile conclusion about a person based on incomplete (and possibly incorrect) information – as long as that conclusion conforms to our own particular world view. If we can get righteously indignant in the process, so much the better. And if someone famous suffers an embarrassing fall from grace, well, that’s the money shot. One could say that Gibson brought his troubles upon himself, and I would be hard-pressed to argue with that. Many of us have done the same. But very few people have to live their lives in the public eye the way a star of Gibson’s stature must (and to be honest, I think espousing religious views that were considered outside the “norm” probably did focus extra attention on him). But how many of us will ever see our very darkest moments replayed over and over in the media? Thankfully, nobody’s particularly interested in my personal failings. Anyway, the more I think about it, the more I believe that Gibson has been pilloried in the media. At one time, people clamored for blood in the arena; now they seek it on TMZ.
I lost a whole pile of my ancestors in the Irish Famine, so when I see that no-good scurvy tart Mel Giblets leaving food on his plate, by golly, it makes me spittin’ mad…
Sure wasn’t it ex-President O’Bama who said, “I’m mad as Mel and I’m not gonna take it anymore!”
And don’t be forgetting Mel in Mad Max Fury Road. They have another actor lined up, but we all know nobody can do mad like Mel.
Mel, you crazy, racist basterd, we loves yer cojones.
“And you can blow me”… Well, not me personally – I’m in the heterosexual minority, sir!
Jodie Foster, who has been the target of scurrilous attacks for her lifestyle which she has mercifully kept to herself, has expressed profound respect and affection for Mel Gibson. It may date from their co-starring roles in “Maverick.” No; neither should necessarily be a role model, but every wart they display under whatever circumstances is magnified because of their high profiles and only serves to demonstrate they are really no different from ordinary people. If you do not approve, do not patronize their work, but do not con’damn’ them without examining your own consciences. I believe St. Thomas Aquinas instructed us to hate the sin, but love the sinner.