Now that Mel Gibson is finally back in action with last weekend's “Edge of Darkness,” some fans might be wondering why the dude took seven years off after his last starring role in 2002’s “Signs.” Others might be asking if we’re going to see Mel in front of the camera again before the year 2016.
According to the “Lethal Weapon” legend, the answer will be on the big screen before too long – as he’s about to begin work on a new film.
“Yeah, it’s called ‘How I Spent My Summer Vacation,’” he explained to us recently. “It’s about a Gringo, and a Mexican prison.” Read more...
In theaters today is "Edge of Darkness," which marks the triumphant return of star Mel Gibson to the big screen. The Australian actor who first made a name for himself here in the U.S. with "Mad Max" has been sticking behind the camera for the past seven years, focusing on passion projects like "Apocalypto" and "The Passion of the Christ." He's back in "Darkness," and it's vintage Mel: he plays a homicide detective investigating the death of his daughter, which of course is not a simple case.
It is familiar ground for Gibson however. He's frequently played a cop (or vigilante-type) in the course of his career, and it's frequently put him on some mission of revenge. "Darkness" is similar, as the investigation eventually uncovers evidence of a corporate cover-up. Gibson is quick to point out, however, that his latest performance stands apart from those in the likes of "Conspiracy Theory" and "Payback." Read more...
FROM MTV.COM: "Edge of Darkness" is a revenge thriller ripped from today's headlines. Well, ripped from the headlines of 25 years ago, anyway, back around the time when movies like "Silkwood" and "The China Syndrome" were mopping up Oscar nominations with their fact-based indictments of the nasty nuclear-energy industry.
The original "Edge of Darkness" was a 1985 BBC-TV miniseries whose director, Martin Campbell, has now turned it into a feature film, relocating the story to Boston. But Karen Silkwood was a real person, and "The China Syndrome" echoed the near-meltdown of the 1979 Three Mile Island accident. "Edge of Darkness" has no such real-world roots, and so its concern with a sinister nuclear-research corporation and the brave young anti-nuke activists determined to blow the whistle on it feels stale and dated. It's a movie whose time has passed.
Continue reading 'Edge of Darkness': Dad Reckoning, By Kurt Loder
Starting tomorrow, Mel Gibson fans will get to see the "Lethal Weapon" star act like a cop again in the thriller "Edge of Darkness." There are no plans for Riggs and Murtaugh to team up anytime soon (as far as we know), but we learn today that Gibson will soon pal around in a gun-toting, crime-fighting duo again. That's a good thing, right?
While we won't be seeing Danny Glover forming the other half of that duo -- remember... he's too old for this s--t -- the classic action/comedy cop series will still get a reunion of sorts. "Lethal Weapon" writer Shane Black will direct Gibson in "Cold Warrior," Variety reports. This will be Black's sophomore effort as a director, following up 2005's "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang." Read more...
Is this the week that "Avatar" falls? I'm guessing no, but stranger things have happened. For six straight weeks, James Cameron's sci-fi marvel has captivated viewers with its entertaining story and impressive underlying 3-D tech. The movie is all but guaranteed to crush the all-time box office records held by "Titanic," Cameron's last feature, since 1997. Even if another #1 weekend isn't in the cards, those records are pretty much toast.
The closest competition "Avatar" has is "Edge of Darkness," which threatens to draw some of the Cameron crowd away purely for being the only new, R-rated release this week with fanperson-friendly subject matter. Mel Gibson stars as a homicide detective who uncovers evidence of corporate and government corruption in the course of a murder investigation. Read more...
Norse history is going to hit in a big way in 2011. First and foremost, there's "Thor," based on the Marvel comic inspired by Norse mythology. And if Wikipedia is correct (unlikely), there's a chance of a long-ago-rumored live-action "Hagar the Horrible" movie set for release that year. Finally, a drama about Vikings from director Mel Gibson and producer Graham King ("The Departed") is set to begin shooting next fall, meaning it will probably be in theaters at some time the following year.
According to Variety, Viking history enthusiast Leonardo DiCaprio will star in the untitled film, which is currently being scripted by William Monahan (both of whom also had a hand in "The Departed"). The plot has not been revealed, but we can presume this will be a bloody action epic, similar to Gibson's "Braveheart." Perhaps there will also be some sort of focus on the Christianization of Scandinavia during the Viking Age, given Gibson's past success with "The Passion of the Christ." Read more...
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...
