Mel Gibson Has 2 Film Projects Lined Up, Including a Potential Reunion
Mel Gibson will be showing off his versatility when he returns to the big screen.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor and filmmaker will be doing some directing and acting in his next round of movie projects.
Gibson has signed up to direct "Destroyer," his first film since the 2016 biographical war film "Hacksaw Ridge." Those who loved that movie will be glad to know that his next directing stint will be a war movie as well.
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Gibson's directorial return is based on the book "Hell from the Heavens: The Epic Story of the USS Laffey and World War II's Greatest Kamikaze Attack" by John Wukovits.
The script was written by Rosalind Ross, who is known for her work in the television series "Matador" and also happens to be Gibson's longtime girlfriend.
For "Destroyer," Gibson will be returning to the Battle of Okinawa that took place during World War 2, which was the setting for "Hacksaw Ridge" as well, but the historical event will be fleshed out from a different angle in the upcoming film.
The source material in which the movie is based focuses on the battle-hardened crewmen of a small ship called the USS Laffey as they face "an eighty-minute ordeal" that saw them attacked by 22 Japanese suicide aircraft units.
"By the time the unprecedented attack on the Laffey was finished, thirty-two sailors lay dead, more than seventy were wounded, and the ship was grievously damaged. Although she lay shrouded in smoke and fire for hours, the Laffey somehow survived, and the gutted American warship limped from Okinawa's shore for home, where the ship and crew would be feted as heroes," the summary of the book reads.
Apart from "Destroyer," Gibson might also have something for those who are a fan of his work in front of the camera. The 62-year-old has also apparently been approached to join Mark Wahlberg in the big screen spin of the hit television series "The Six Billion Dollar Man."
It is unclear, at the moment, whether or not he has signed up to star, but this film is set to begin production late summer so official information should be available soon.
The shooting is slated to wrap up by fall, which means that Gibson might have to push back "Destroyer" to winter to be able to take part in the project.
There is no word yet on what role he is being tapped for in "The Six Billion Dollar Man."
Wahlberg has been confirmed to play the role of Col. Steve Austin, a fallen pilot saved by an operation that makes him part machine. The bionic implants he receives endows him superhuman strength, which he puts to use as he works for a fictional government agency called OSI.
Should Gibson agree, the film will serve as a reunion between him and the actor. For those who do not know, the two played father and son in the comedy film "Daddy's Home 2." It is because of this previous collaboration that Wahlberg is pushing for Gibson.
