What a strange and winding road films take! When I first reported on "The Beaver" it was a blurb on Steve Carell's pre-production slate. The story of a depressed man and his beaver puppet seemed like a natural fit for the actor, who often veers into tragi-comedy in his movie and television roles.
The plot thickened when Jim Carrey expressed interest. In addition, rumors put Jodie Foster behind the camera. We've now reached "stranger in a strange land" territory, as Mel Gibson appears to be stepping into the leading role. Read more...
Even us film geeks at MTV Movies Blog must admit that there are times when we experience cognitive dissonance between our favorite actors and the characters they portray. Sometimes, an actor capable of delivering a beautiful performance can come off as something very different when thrust in the public eye. In other words, even the most talented performers can suffer from some severe image problems.
Need some examples? Here are five Hollywood personalities whose work we adore, but who could use a bit of a makeover when it comes to their public persona. Remember guys, we're saying this because we love you. Here's some unsolicited advice for a few of our favorite bad boys (and girls). Just a note that those awesome pictures after the jump are the work of MTV's talented associate producer/photoshop ninja/silent assassin Sohyung Kang. If you'd like to see them in their full-size glory, make sure to check out our "Hollywood's Public Enemies" flipbook! Read more...
This morning brings with it word from - where else? - an Austrailian newspaper (via AICN) that director George Miller is preparing to start work on a fourth "Road Warrior"/"Mad Max" movie. The story in Australia's Herald Sun reveals that location scouting is already underway, and that shooting could start as early as later this year.
Miller has already dismissed the possibility of Mel Gibson reprising his role in previous interviews, though between Leonard Nimoy in "Star Trek" and Arnold Schwarzenegger in "Terminator Salvation," cameos are very quickly becoming the hot way to expose your celebrity status without too much of a time commitment. Gibson, who has had his share of public relations troubles in the recent past, could probably use a boost from a fan community which fondly remembers a time before the actor got all serious. Read more...
It was early in 2003 and Australian writer/director George Miller was gearing up to begin shooting the fourth “Mad Max” movie almost two-and-a-half decades after the last one hit theaters. Mel Gibson was set to reprise the role that made him a star and filming was to begin in Namibia. Then the United States went to war in Iraq, and everything fell apart.
Miller, however, has never given up his dream of restarting the project. “You would think I would be done with ‘Mad Max’ by now, but once you let those stories creep into your mind they keep going around in your head,” he told MTV News.
One thing Miller has given up on is his leading man, who turned 53 in January. “The ideas we have for live action are very physical. The stories are pretty physical. It’s not like ‘Unforgiven,’ about an older person.” In other words, Mel, no one wants an elderly Max fighting freaks with one hand and popping Advil with the other. Read more...
Good ol’ Mad Max: post-apocalyptic gun-slinger with a need for blood-thirsty revenge! MTV News’ #4 Movie Badass of All Time! And...star of a 3-D anime feature film?!
Unlikely as that last one sounds, some big screen animated “Max” action is shaping up to become a reality, according to George Miller, the writer/director of the previous three films. The catch? He doesn’t want Max himself, Mel Gibson, anywhere near the project.
“We'll probably go a different route,” Miller told MTV News about the potential talent voicing the lead role. The plot would be partly lifted from the script of the fourth “Max” film, which was set to shoot in 2003 until financing collapsed in the wake of the Iraq War. Read more...
Mel Gibson's Martin Riggs may not have made it onto our Greatest Badasses list but that doesn't mean we're not big fans of the sometime suicidal/always entertaining maverick cop. But before we get to our breaking "Lethal Weapon" news, enjoy the below as we name Gibson's Mad Max one of the greats of all time.
As for "Lethal Weapon," well Hollywood is notoriously—some might say pathetically—hooked on sequels, but Gibson at least seems determined to break his addiction. So if Danny Glover’s Murtaugh dives into a fifth adventure of murder, drugs and campy one liners, he’ll be doing it without the protection of Mel Gibson’s Riggs. “I couldn’t imagine going back there to try to revive that one,” Gibson exclusively told MTV News. “I think we got everything we could out of it.” Read more...
Here's one franchise that, thankfully, won't be making a return long past its welcome. The Internet has been buzzing for weeks over a fifth installment of "Lethal Weapon," most of the excitement centered on the fact that Shane Black had penned the script. Black wrote the first two installments, which are generally agreed to be the best of the four, and was producer Joel Silver's pick to direct a fifth film. All was dependent on Mel Gibson's approval.
And he won't be giving it. Geoff Boucher caught up with Richard Donner, who reports that Gibson has refused to return for a fifth installment. Read more...
