LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Hollywood director Mel Gibson, whose religious film "The Passion of Christ" became the surprise megahit of 2004, will direct a new action film that will again take him back to ancient times.
Entertainment industry bible Daily Variety said that the actor-director will go behind the camera to make "Apocalypto," an action and violence-packed movie set in an ancient civilisation around 3,000 years ago.
But the latest epic that will be fully financed by Gibson's Icon Productions -- Hollywood's hottest production property following the runaway success of "Passion" that Gibson funded from his own pocket -- will not have a religious theme.
The American-Australian Gibson will direct and produce "Apocalypto" and also wrote its script, but will not star in the film which will begin production in October and be released in the middle of 2006, Variety said.
Gibson is said to be Hollywood's most powerful figure since taking a huge risk by self-financing "Passion," which told the story of the last hours of Jesus Christ, after other investors refused to support the film.
A devout Catholic, Gibson put 25 million dollars of his own money into the film, which ended up netting 604 million dollars around the world, becoming the most successful independent film of all time.
The stunning success and profits produced by the film instantly made Gibson very wealthy and powerful in movie circles, giving him a new influence that Variety compared to that of "Star Wars" creator George Lucas.
By financing the new picture exclusively through Icon Productions, Gibson maintains full control of the project.
Walt Disney Co won the competition to distribute "Apocalypto" -- which is a Greek term meaning "an unveiling" or "new beginning" -- in North America, while Icon Productions will circulate it in the rest of the world.
Entertainment giant Disney had to agree to stringent distribution terms set by Gibson in order to win the US and Canadian rights for the film, Variety said.
Gibson sprang to fame through his acting roles as the star of films such as "Lethal Weapon" and "Mad Max."
Groucho
07-22-05, 03:38 PM
Lots of words and paragraphs but they never really say what the film is about.
Mordred
07-22-05, 03:42 PM
Lots of words and paragraphs but they never really say what the film is about.Obviously it's about the Apocalypto.
Would have been better if they'd gone for the Island version: Apocalypso.
nemein
07-22-05, 03:47 PM
Lots of words and paragraphs but they never really say what the film is about.
"an action and violence-packed movie set in an ancient civilisation around 3,000 years ago"
What more do you need to know. Think of it as bronze-age Braveheart ;)
Squirrel God
07-22-05, 03:53 PM
Think of it as bronze-age Braveheart ;)
Sounds like it's gonna be more like Mad Max to me :)
joeydaninja
07-22-05, 03:59 PM
http://img88.exs.cx/img88/5683/darkseid4.jpg
Jippy
07-23-05, 12:17 AM
Huh? What happened to the "Passion" sequel?
Flynn
07-23-05, 12:56 AM
Sounds cool.
Jon2
07-23-05, 02:53 AM
I just saw a show on the History Channel about the destruction of the ancient Minoan civilization (thought by some to be the basis for the legend of Atlantis). Considering the time frame of the Gibson's story and the title, it might be a dramatization of this ancient disaster.
joeydaninja
07-23-05, 02:58 AM
But seriously, it must be nice to have the creative freedom to do whatever the hell you want.
Flynn
07-23-05, 11:38 AM
But seriously, it must be nice to have the creative freedom to do whatever the hell you want.
Absolutely. this has been done by several other directors, most notably George Lucas - Fox merely distributes (i.e. prints the film and ships it) for his films. If you have the money, this is the way to get the creative freedom you desire.
calhoun07
07-23-05, 02:17 PM
Huh? What happened to the "Passion" sequel?
Mel Gibson is still waiting for the second coming, but believe it that he will have camera's rolling for the event to get the walk on appearance by Jesus Himself!
B.A.
07-24-05, 12:06 AM
I thought he was going to do a Terence Malick film w/ Colin Farrell? Or was that just an unconfirmed rumor?
Sierra Disc
07-24-05, 03:08 AM
Apocalypto: the end of the world set to a charming calypso beat, perhaps?
birdseye
07-25-05, 05:48 PM
'Apocalypto' to be filmed in obscure Mayan dialect (http://www.variety.com/VR1117926430.html)
Mel tongue-ties studios
'Apocalypto' to be filmed in obscure Mayan dialect
By MICHAEL FLEMING
When production chiefs from selected studios trooped to Icon Prods. headquarters after an invite to read the film Mel Gibson planned for summer 2006, they were surprised at the very first page of the script.
"The dialogue you are about to read will not be spoken in English."
Gibson, who last made the most successful Aramaic-language film ever, is at it again.
"Apocalypto" hardly fits the traditional definition of a summer film. Set 500 years ago, pic will be filmed in an obscure Mayan dialect, presumably with the same kind of subtitles Gibson reluctantly added to "The Passion of the Christ." It will star a neophyte cast indigenous to the region of Mexico where Gibson will shoot in October. And it likely will carry an R rating, unless Gibson tempers the onscreen depiction of violent scenes he wrote in his script.
Since Gibson's bankrolling his pic and will sell foreign himself, studios were offered only a rent-a-system deal, such as George Lucas had with 20th Century Fox for his last three "Star Wars" films. And because "Apocalypto" is not a religious pic, there's no guarantee of an encore turnout of the church groups and hardcore Catholics who made "The Passion of the Christ" a nearly $1 billion box office/DVD bonanza.
'Passion' prediction
At least three studios passed on the project before Disney bought it. Nevertheless, the fact that more than one studio bid for the project shows Gibson's viability and makes laughable last year's prediction by the New York Times that Gibson would be blackballed by Jewish executives after the "Passion" controversy.
That charge never really had much traction, said sources within Gibson's agency, ICM. There was a post-"Passion" pile of scripts with $20 million-plus offers for Gibson's acting services. While that paper piled up on ICM co-prexy Ed Limato's desk, Gibson was accumulating pages of his own, scribbling "Apocalypto" in his office and becoming so passionate about it that he changed his plans to star in the Icon-produced drama "Under and Alone" for Warner Bros.
Even though studios including Paramount and Universal walked away from "Apocalypto" either for creative reasons or because Gibson's asking price of a high P&A commitment was too high, Disney's agreement to step up shows how much things have changed for Gibson since he struggled to get backing for "Braveheart." Gibson felt he was too old to play William Wallace, preferring to cast Jason Patric, but he was hard-pressed to raise coin even when he agreed to star.
Paramount wouldn't make "Braveheart" without a partner, and before Fox (which passed on "Passion") stepped up, Gibson had a demoralizing meeting with his longtime haunt Warner Bros., which wanted another "Lethal Weapon" as a condition of the deal. Gibson made "Braveheart" on a shoestring, won picture and director Oscars and made money for both Paramount and Fox.
Happy with Disney
Now content to bankroll his vision and armed with his own overseas distribution and sales company, Gibson no longer goes hat in hand. Sources said at least two studios wanted the pic, but Gibson liked Disney, where he has a good relationship with Dick Cook, chairman of the Walt Disney Studios. For its part, Disney agreed to Gibson's tough deal terms.
Already, there is talk that Disney will program "Apocalypto" against the Warner Bros. film "Lady in the Water," which just happens to be the first M. Night Shyamalan-directed film Disney hasn't financed since the filmmaker's breakthrough, "The Sixth Sense."
For his part, Cook said he was confident "Apocalypto" fits the summer bill.
"We couldn't be more excited about working again with Mel and his team," said Cook. "This is one of the most original and unique scripts we've had the opportunity to read recently, and we plan for this to be an anchor of our summer schedule."
Groucho
07-25-05, 05:52 PM
Oh, Mel.
I'd laugh at him, but he pulled off The Passion of the Christ, so I don't dare!
ShagMan
07-25-05, 06:36 PM
wow, getting same type terms as The Flannel One himself.. you go, Mel!
kvrdave
07-25-05, 07:35 PM
Crap. I prefer to listen to dialect in English. It seems to suit me better. If I wanted to read, I'd have stayed in school.
Maybe this is another low budget deal. If that is the case, he probably can't lose money. It would be nice to see him act again, though.
Joe Molotov
07-25-05, 08:43 PM
So is it set 500 years ago or 3,000 years ago?
jaeufraser
07-25-05, 09:33 PM
Gibson made "Braveheart" on a shoestring, won picture and director Oscars and made money for both Paramount and Fox.
Interesting article, though I never really thought 72 million in 1995 was really a shoestring budget.
As for Apocalypto...well, Mel surely pulled a rabbit out of his hat with Passion, so who knows if this will pan out. I do know one thing...it's great to see someone making big films that completely go against traditional big budget thinking.
Grimfarrow
07-25-05, 10:24 PM
After he's dived into antiquity, hopefully he'll just stay there!
Canadian Bacon
07-26-05, 12:01 AM
So will it feature C-Man as a child?
B.A.
07-26-05, 12:34 AM
It would be nice to see him act again, though.Yup.
Either way this project sounds interesting.
Groucho
07-26-05, 09:22 AM
So will it feature C-Man as a child?No, of course not. The film opens with C-Man's retirement party.
Josh-da-man
07-26-05, 10:18 AM
I think Mel's next movie should be Star Trek XI: The Saga of Kahless.
With all of the dialogue in unsubtitled Klingon.
Grubert
07-26-05, 10:33 AM
Mayan, huh? He should have talked to Regency so that they could arrange a double-feature with Aronofsky's The Fountain. ;)
Mel Gibson is still waiting for the second coming, but believe it that he will have camera's rolling for the event to get the walk on appearance by Jesus Himself!
Working title is Jesus Christ Reloaded. :D
wordtoyamotha
07-26-05, 11:57 AM
I do know one thing...it's great to see someone making big films that completely go against traditional big budget thinking.
I agree. This film would surely be to "risky" for any studio because it is not a remake, comic book movie or Bruckheimer movie.
wordtoyamotha
07-26-05, 12:00 PM
I do know one thing...it's great to see someone making big films that completely go against traditional big budget thinking.
I agree. This film would surely be to "risky" for any studio because it is not a remake, comic book movie or Michael Bay movie.
bhk
07-26-05, 03:07 PM
If he made a film on the Mayans and how they actually lived, it would be Rated NC-17 and they would need to pass out vomit bags with the theater ticket.
Mel Gibson's new movie: 'Apocalypto'
But action film 'not a big doomsday picture,' director says
Monday, October 31, 2005; Posted: 8:43 a.m. EST (13:43 GMT)
Mel Gibson talks with reporters about "Apocalypto," which is set in Mexico before the Spanish conquest.
VERACRUZ, Mexico (AP) -- Mel Gibson says a fascination with ancient cultures and great civilizations is what led him to make his upcoming movie "Apocalypto," starring unknown Mexican actors speaking in an ancient tongue.
"What I'm doing is making an action-adventure film of mythic proportions," Gibson, sporting a plaid flannel shirt, jeans and a long salt-and pepper beard, told a news conference Friday.
The movie is scheduled to begin production Nov. 14 and will be shot almost entirely in the jungle of Mexico's Veracruz state.
The film's stars will be unrecognizable to most moviegoers, and they will speak in the Mayan tongue of Yucateco, Gibson said. It will be light on dialogue and heavy on images and action. It's set 600 years ago, prior to the 16th-century Spanish conquest of Mexico and Central America.
The most anyone will see of the 49-year-old movie star "is my fingernail," Gibson said. "If I was in it, it would wreck everything."
In his first public explanation of the movie, both written and directed by Gibson, he said he decided to hold a news conference "to satisfy people's curiosity a little bit" and knock down inaccurate speculation.
The movie is "a story about a man and his woman, his child and his father, his community," adding that the man "is put in an incredibly heightened, stressful situation ... has to overcome tremendous obstacles. So it's a universal story in that respect."
Like his last film, the stunningly successful "The Passion of the Christ," Gibson will bankroll "Apocalypto" himself. Disney has signed on to release it in the United States.
Gibson said that although he researched the writings of a Spanish missionary and the Mayan bible, the "Popol Vuh," and visited Mayan sites in Guatemala and Mexico, the Mayan setting is merely the backdrop of the movie. he chose it because "it's just fascinating to me. There's still a lot of mystery about the culture."
"I'm hoping by focusing on this civilization we can ... analyze ourselves," he said, adding that the movie "is kind of an anthropological journey."
The film's title, "Apocalypto," a Greek word for an unveiling or new beginning, "just expresses so well that I want to convey," Gibson said. "I think it's just a universal word. In order for something to begin, something has to end. All of those elements are involved. But it's not a big doomsday picture or anything like that."
Asked about future endeavors, Gibson replied, "I have many other projects planned. I might just try one in English."
Would have been better if they'd gone for the Island version: Apocalypso.
rotfl
Numanoid
11-01-05, 09:47 AM
Crap. I prefer to listen to dialect in English. It seems to suit me better. If I wanted to read, I'd have stayed in school.You're kidding, I hope.
shaun3000
11-01-05, 11:42 AM
I'm glad there's a big name willing to take risks and try new things. Gibson has the money and the passion (no pun intended) to make these things happen and make them work well. At least SOMEONE in Hollywood still cares about their movies more than their money.
GuessWho
11-01-05, 12:47 PM
Huh? What happened to the "Passion" sequel?
They killed the main character!
How do you make a sequel? Bring Him back from the dead?
Terrell
11-01-05, 02:57 PM
Good for Mel. I like Mel. I like his movies. The only problem I see for Mel is if his film bombs, he can't sustain his independence, unlike Lucas who has a net worth of about 4 billion dollars. That's the risk of funding your own films. But I hope Mel succeeds so he can keep his independence.
Mr. M
11-03-05, 01:01 AM
Good for Mel. I like Mel. I like his movies. The only problem I see for Mel is if his film bombs, he can't sustain his independence, unlike Lucas who has a net worth of about 4 billion dollars. That's the risk of funding your own films. But I hope Mel succeeds so he can keep his independence.
They'll never take his FREEDOM!!!1!!1!
JumpCutz
11-03-05, 01:06 AM
....but he's getting to old for this shit.
darqleo
11-03-05, 01:24 AM
Can't wait for the SOUTH PARK parody
al_bundy
11-04-05, 11:06 AM
They killed the main character!
How do you make a sequel? Bring Him back from the dead?
40 days later and with glowing fireballs above his followers
isn't this when the incas or the mayas disappeared?
Oraphus
11-04-05, 05:39 PM
isn't this when the incas or the mayas disappeared?
Did the Jews kill them? ...because he could go to town with that one.
masetodd
11-04-05, 07:44 PM
Quotes from Apocalypto:
"The Bronze Age.... shit; I'm still only in the Bronze Age.... Every time I think I'm gonna wake up back in the jungle."
"Minoans don't surf!"
"I love the smell of Bronze smelting in the morning..."
movielib
11-04-05, 08:34 PM
Perhaps this time he'll base his film on a true story. :)
Joe Molotov
11-04-05, 08:56 PM
I didn't read the whole thread, but did anyone make a Passion of the Christ joke yet? That would be hilarious, because this guy actually directed Passion of the Christ as it turns out!
movielib
11-04-05, 09:49 PM
I didn't read the whole thread, but did anyone make a Passion of the Christ joke yet? That would be hilarious, because this guy actually directed Passion of the Christ as it turns out!
Is that a joke?
steebo777
11-05-05, 10:48 AM
I didn't read the whole thread, but did anyone make a Passion of the Christ joke yet? That would be hilarious, because this guy actually directed Passion of the Christ as it turns out!
http://entimg.msn.com/i/gal/WeekInPhotos/110305/MelGibson_400.jpg
Cygnet74
11-05-05, 04:59 PM
Is that a joke?
http://www.goldtalk.com/Portal/html/modules/Forums/images/smiles/slapforehead.gif
Michael Ballack
11-05-05, 05:32 PM
Good for Mel. I like Mel. I like his movies. The only problem I see for Mel is if his film bombs, he can't sustain his independence, unlike Lucas who has a net worth of about 4 billion dollars. That's the risk of funding your own films. But I hope Mel succeeds so he can keep his independence.
You mean churchs aren't still buying 100 copies of THe Passion? Surely he's making money on tortured Jesus action figures, right? :eyebrow:
al_bundy
11-07-05, 10:24 PM
Jesus is in the public domain for now, too bad for Mel
Joe Molotov
11-07-05, 10:55 PM
Is that a joke?
I'm dead serious.
al_bundy
12-18-05, 11:45 AM
Just finished reading this book which talks a lot about recent archeological discoveries in Mexico and South America.
I think Mel has good material on his hands with this.
GoldenJCJ
12-20-05, 08:50 PM
looks interesting enough, I'll check it out
Entertainment tonight showed the teaser last night...of course those assholes talked over the entire thing.
Geofferson
12-20-05, 10:12 PM
Trailer gets the :up: from me.
Squirrel God
12-20-05, 10:17 PM
Film looks rubbish.
illennium
12-20-05, 11:21 PM
...they would need to pass out vomit bags with the theater ticket.
If they did that, I might actually be able to sit through a Mel Gibson movie.
SINGLE104
12-21-05, 11:46 AM
Huh? What happened to the "Passion" sequel?
Was there suppose to be a sequel? Generally speaking, The Passion Of The Christ does not need a sequel. The Holy Bible tells the remainding life of Christ on earth three days after his resurrection, before he ascended to heaven, and sat on the right hand of his father. To gain knowledge of this information and more, you must read the word of God verbatim from The Bible for yourself.
Man. I think Mel needs to do a Fidel Castro movie next. Then he could star and direct it.
darqleo
12-21-05, 02:08 PM
that is so cool ! how did you managed to catch that ???
Someone pointed it out at www.aintitcool.com so I thought I'd pass it along, hehe.
Squirrel God
12-21-05, 03:11 PM
Man. I think Mel needs to do a Fidel Castro movie next. Then he could star and direct it.
"Mel with Beard" has been compared with photos of Saddam Hussein in the British press.
awmurray
12-21-05, 03:15 PM
"Mel with Beard" has been compared with photos of Saddam Hussein in the British press.
I didn't make that connection, but I just looked again and damn! You're right. He could be Saddam too.
ShagMan
12-21-05, 03:41 PM
OMG, that still in the trailer is great. Either Mel's got his sense of humor back, or somebody in the editing department is gonna get fired.
bhk
12-21-05, 04:10 PM
The trailer does it's job well. It makes me want to see the movie without giving the story away.
Squirrel God
12-21-05, 04:51 PM
I didn't make that connection, but I just looked again and damn! You're right. He could be Saddam too.
http://saddamgibson.ytmnd.com/ :D
Legolas
12-21-05, 06:39 PM
Huh? What happened to the "Passion" sequel?
Where Jesus comes to America to attend BYU?
overider
12-21-05, 11:30 PM
Someone pointed it out at www.aintitcool.com so I thought I'd pass it along, hehe.
Thanks for passing it on here darqleo ! your post really crack me up ! i actually went to rewatch the trailer and slow/step the 1.4 min bit to find that frame ... pretty amused when Mel showed up
kinda remind me of Fight Club's "inserting a frame", I never know that it would be so hard to spot/catch
Some news came out about the movie this week. I'll just link to a search of the different stories.
scott1598
03-21-06, 01:09 PM
why has Gibson become so bizarre and a recluse? he has made some great movies with "Braveheart" being the pinnacle (for me) at least. then Passion comes along and has changed the man for the worse. seeing him on the Oscars was a total shock. i mean he used to do bits like that all over the place and though he was damn funny. now, he is like this fervent icon who is untouchable and i think alienating himself to his fans that once truly adored him, 1st as an action star, then as a serious and quite entertaining filmmaker. now, i look to his future projects with a disheartening optimism.
B.A.
03-21-06, 02:15 PM
I just read the "Apocalypto Now" piece in TIME - I'm actually looking forward to seeing this.
Buy: