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UPDATE: Reports of a nasty memo from Joe Eszterhas to Mel Gibson have surfaced, one filled with a summary of salacious and anti-Semitic statements that Eszterhas alleges Gibson uttered while they worked on the Maccabee script together. Deadline is not going to repeat the verbiage, because Eszterhas’ account doesn’t pass our sniff test. Here’s one reason why: If Eszterhas really heard all the hateful things he says Gibson told him, then why didn’t the brash Hungarian quit the project instead of tolerating the slurs? And then only speak out after his script gets rejected by Warner Bros? Gibson has made no immediate comment.
Related:Mel Gibson Responds To Joe Eszterhas: EXCLUSIVE
EARLIER, 2:23 PM: I’ve confirmed reports that Warner Bros isn’t crazy about the script received from Joe Eszterhas telling the heroic story of Jewish warrior Judah Maccabee. This is the project that Mel Gibson wants to direct — the one Deadline revealed back in September when the studio stepped up and shocked Hollywood because of Gibson’s past problems with the Jewish community. I’m told the studio didn’t like the script and hadn’t rejected Gibson, and that Warner Bros is reportedly “deciding what to do”. Given the frenzy of critical stories that followed Deadline’s original story, I would have been surprised if the studio had the stones to make the project, and this might give the studio an easy out. The question will be how badly Gibson wants to make the movie now: his Icon was part of the original deal, and he certainly has the wherewithal to make the passion project himself. He did after all score record grosses for the last religious-themed project he funded after it was turned down: The Passion Of The Christ.
The Maccabee script tells the story of how Judah teamed with his father and four brothers to lead the Jewish revolt against the Greek-Syrian armies that had conquered Judea in the second century B.C. Gibson has long wanted to do direct this, but the maverick has to decide whether past baggage will alienate too much of the core audience to make it worthwhile. Gibson is readying the VOD launch of Get the Gringo, the movie he stars in, co-wrote and financed that will bypass a theatrical run and test the viability of the multi-platform strategy that was the talk of the last Sundance Film Festival. Gibson made deals for the film to bow May 1 on DirectTV for $10.99 per viewing, and then follow with a day and date VOD and DVD release through Fox. Here’s a trailer for a movie that seems a close cousin to his B movie classic Payback:
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Ezsterhas has never been good. He is a plague. Watched FLASHDANCE recently? Holy fuck.
Ezterhas is one of the all-time hacks and Gibson is an infamous anti-Semite. There’s your formula for a succesdul hisroical biopic about a legendary Hebrew hero. Go for it, baby! Showgirls meets The Ten Commandments!
John – you have summarized all the elements of this story far better than anyone else. If you weren’t so accurate I would laugh. But you have hit the nail on the head. It could better be a documentary on how Hollywood ensures the total inaccuracy and stupidity of the historical dramas they produce.
Anyone who is prone to getting ‘Black-Out-Drunk’, knows the truth: Nothing said or done during this altered state of consciousness has anything to do with the psyche of the same person when sober. I have outgrown my ‘Black-Out’ period of life and have not had an episode for over 35 years: However, I still cringe when I’m told stories of things I did and said during a drunken black out. One can only wonder who that person was, it wasn’t me. Though drunken black outs are certainly self induced and one should be held liable for property damage, assaults, broken relationships etc, one should not confuse Mr. Gibsons’ values for his drunken raving. So, you don’t like being around raving lunatic drunks? Okay, I understand. You think sober Mel is anti semetic ? Kinda doubt that.
If U really believe that bull ur worse off then poor mel.I have worked with alcoholics for years and find that the more drunk they r the more truth they speak.
So you “work with” drunks, huh, “Dr. Zack?” Hmm. Well, since most of the psychiatric establishment disagrees with you on that point maybe we should assume you specialize in some other area of medicine; Proctology, maybe…what with your head up your ass and all.
mel gibson is such a great actor and director. he has made some of the best movies ever. its too bad that he is judged for a few of his worst un-pc moments.
he paid for the jewish remarks by not winning best picture for Apocalypto. and the problems with his woman were just a passionate man who was in love and having a hard time dealing. we should all be lucky that no one cares enough about us that our mess-ups are known by everyone.
Go Mel!
Hey, I liked Apocolypto as much as the next person, but it wasn’t Mel Gibson’s un-pc behaviour that prevented it from winning best picture. It was the fact that it wasn’t the best picture for that year.
PLEASE let Eszterhas and Gibson take this into their own hands and produce it free of studio oversight!! I would absolutely sign up to see that trainwreck! Picture it: Judea, 166 B.C. The Jewish people are oppressed, babies are killed, prayer is outlawed, and Nomi Malone is forced to have sex with rich men in a pool in an effort to become a star. One family of self-loathing Jews rise up to conquer their oppressors wearing blue face paint and shouting, “Freedom!” Judah Maccabee, played by Gibson, is a smart-ass, fast-talking womanizer who finds multiple opportunities to kill someone while diving over furniture and always finds a way to achieve a well-lit butt shot. The Maccabees conquer their way to Jerusalem, where they face the leader and his evil henchmen. A battle ensues, Juadh frees Nomi, and when the evil leader has Judah pinned up against the edge of a cliff, Nomi pushes him down the stairs and says, “I don’t like brown rice and vegetables!” How could anyone NOT see this movie?!?
Tim, you need to back for a re-write. This does not represent historical detail. Next!
“Jewish people are oppressed, babies are killed, prayer is outlawed,” Not that much has changed.
Love when people mention Gibson’s “problems” with the jewish community.I believe that’s a nice way to put it. Honestly,the guy has a well documented history of hate towards jews & women & basically his views seem hateful in general. I believe when someone is angry or drunk or whatever & say hateful things-it’s pretty close to how they really feel. I’m sure if you take a poll of jewish people asking Who they’d like doing a movie about a jewish warrior-the overwhelming response would be Mel Gibson!?!?
Hate towards Jews and Women?
Aside from his DUI arrest and unfortunate comments to the arresting officer while drunk, what “history” of jew hatred. Please give us the long list.
As for his hate for women? His own wife stated that he never hit her or treated her the way he was being portrayed by the Gold-Digger. Please provide the list of all the beatings and abuse to the so many women??
In regards to the whole, “that’s how people really feel” comment about drunken behavior, I completely disagree. I’ve done some stupid shit when I was half in the bag. I’ve said stupid shit when I was half in the bag. In no way shape or form are the things I did or the things I said the reality of who I am as a person.
So all movies should made or not made based on polls?
Sarcastic One? No.
Ignorant One? Yes.
Vincent, I don’t care how drunk you are – if your reaction to being pulled over and popped for a DUI is a rant about Jews, then you are probably an anti-semite. It’s not a normal reaction.
Okay, Chuck.
Gibson has been working on this film for over 10 years now. Explain how or why an anti-semite would waste his time, money and life trying to make a film about Jewish heroes when he can make a film about a million other things?
Because he’s a passionate and talented filmmaker who sees a story. And he clearly hates being told no.
Look, I like the guy’s movies too, but it’s not out of bounds to think the guy who makes bigoted comments (and these aren’t isolated incidents) is a bigot.
I love Chinatown and I think Polanski raped that girl. I love Apocalypto and I think Gibson is an anti-semite. I’m able accept both of these things without getting upset or defensive.
But come on, this guy clearly has problems.
When has Hollywood cared about anything but profits? This movie would make tons at the box office. From the director of Passion of the Christ and Apocalyto, starring whatever marquee name they get. Cha-ching.
Say what you will about Joe and his writing, but Basic Instinct was a masterpiece.
Let me guess, the site that claims to have the nine-page letter, but whom I will not give free publicity here will post a page of the letter every day for the following eight weekdays so it can stretch this ridiculous story out as long as possible, just as Radar Online did with those tapes. They reported a new slur every day for a week, and then they released a segment of the tapes every day for another week. They got two weeks out of it, hoping that the scandal would prove as beneficial to them as acquiring Gibson’s arrest report for the DUI had proven for TMZ, who went from an unknown paparazzi website to a billion dollar brand afterward.
At least Deadline bothered to mention that Eszterhas has leaked embellished and slanderous letters to the press about employers he was unhappy with before. Does Esztherhas really believe that admitting he continued to work for an anti-Semite as cartoonish and over the top as this letter alleges help his own image in any way? Eszterhas has always been an egomaniacal writer who often slandered people who dared to judge or rewrite his scripts. His ego was stroked by the multi-million dollar script sales he often made in the 90s. And now, no one but Deadline bothers to suggest a connection between this letter being “leaked” on the same day of announcement that Warner Brothers is unsatisfied with his script? Eszterhas has simply lashed out at the easiest target: Mel Gibson who is incapable of defending himself, and as Esztheras knows very well, is the favorite subject of scrutiny and libel by the media.
It appears that Gibson just simply cannot catch a break from the people he surrounds himself with.
Great points. I enjoy Gibson’s films, his personal life means nothing to me, he simply does a job and is good at it.
In fairness, Sharon Waxman over at The Wrap is milking it, but she did publish the entire screed.
Does the Esterhas letter pass the sniff test? Right now it’s a he said/he said situation, but third parties are named in the Esterhas letter, so corroborations and/or denials may be forthcoming.
Has anybody out there read the script? I’d be curious what to see those two minds have wrought…
Its called acting people!!! The people who played in Shindlers List do we know what was in their hearts or minds???? Get a life
I think a Mel Gibson version of this piece would be worth the watch. Most of his movies are pretty darned good…regardless of negative opinions, he does know how to entertain the Mob. I think that at the end of the day, that is his whole stchick…It’s show biz folks.
Another Ezsterhas memo?! The Ovitz letter was better than any script he ever wrote in a million years. Now he’s got his rocket launcher aimed at Mel Gibson?! Let’s get ready to rum-ble!!!!
This will be self financed eventually and it will be a monster hit. Religious themed movies play well in most of the country.(LA and NY seems to forget that they aren’t the entire population of the USA sometimes and further forget that they are nowhere close to being in touch with mainstream America)
@Sarcastic One well known hate for women? Based on what? Those tapes that have since been suspected of being doctored? Right. I’ve only heard of Mel using anything even remotely anti-Semetic once and that was while drunk. While certainly not a shining moment and you do have a point that there is at least SOME kernel of truth even while drunk let’s give it a rest already. I mean, the head of the DNC has an assistant who is in charge of being the liason to the Jewish community who posted a pic on Facebook of her holding dollarbills with the caption ‘Jewbags’ and that is but one example.
It seems people only care about Mel because he isn’t a typical Hollywood liberal.
“It seems people only care about Mel because he isn’t a typical Hollywood liberal.”
Neither is Esterhaus. That’s why he moved to Bainbridge Township S. of Cleveland for him & his wife, Naomi,(Good Jewish name, btw)to raise their family out of the Hollywood Insanity. Wise choice.
Putting up with Gibson’s rants esp. with a son in tow is rank stupidity. But we ALL make mistakes & regret them later.
I too was skeptical about the “Eszterhas memo” and dismissed it out of hand as a fake… until I read the first page (all that was available online).
If this document is a fake it’s a brilliant fake — highly detailed and specific and endearingly petty in a way that just seems to be, well, genuine. Not to mention that it perfectly replicates the prose style of the Ovitz memo and Eszterhas’s book “Hollywood Animal.”
So once again, this document is either the real thing or a work of genius.
Wouldn’t it be funny if Mel researched his family tree and found out he was Jewish himself? Now there’s a premise for a film. I’ve even got the title…”OMG, I AM SUCH A SCHMUCK”
See The Infidel
Good call. Fun flick.
I don’t know what’s more amazing…. That Joe Esterhack is still alive or that Mel Gibson actually paid him money to write a script…
Why must you bring politics in to this you mouth breather!
Mel Gibson plays well with people who are not the sharpest tools in the shed. I’d imagine they would go see his movie, regardless of how bad it turned out. It would probably be screened in churches, alongside other wonderfully cultured movies like Facing the Giants and Fireproof. Oye.
As much as I hate Mel Gibson, it must be said: APOCALYPTO is the best movie of the past decade.
Wow, 15 years ago Eszterhas could have written this in crayon on the back of an IHOP receipt and they would have paid $1.5 million for it.
… The story of Judah Maccabee and the Maccabeean Revolt is also the story of Hanukkah… NOTHING like what you just described happened.
I have never understood why people ever thought Joe Eszterhas was ever anything more than a hack. I’m sorry but Basic Instinct was bullshit…slick looking…but still bullshit. And given the history, how on earth is this guy still getting work?
Aren’t we all lucky you are an expert on what someone will say when they are drunk and angry. I find it fascinating that many of the people who refuse to forgive Mel his few missteps are the same who forgive Charlie Sherm both for hateful speech and actual acts of violence.
I don’t know about the Judah movie but Get the Gringo looks hilarious.
I would pay to see another Mel Gibson movie period.
Hollywood is still pissed Gibson scored huge on Passion of the Christ and bypassed the whole establishment. They won’t let that happen twice.