Mel Gibson developing Film based on the Jewish Warrior, Judah Maccabee
Wow! So I didn't see this one coming. Mel Gibson is going to make a comeback in a big way. He and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas (Footloose, Basic Instinct) have set up a film at Warner Bros. that will tell the heroic story of Judah Maccabee, the Jewish warrior who 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. The film is currently untitled.
No matter what kind of person Gibson is, there's one thing you can't deny him and that is his talent. If anyone could take this story and make an incredible epic film out of it, it's Gibson. Just forget the fact that he's a little nutty, the guy is a great storyteller. I'm not defending what he's done or said, I'm just saying he is a talented individual with issues.
Gibson is not officially attached to direct the film yet, but he has the first option to do so. As of right now he is producing the film and collaborating with Eszterhas on the script. Apparently this is a film Gibson has been wanting to make for awhile and discussions were underway before the whole ex-girlfriend thing blew up.
Deadline explains that "Maccabee’s triumph and struggle against tyranny and oppression where people gave their lives so that others would be free to worship is celebrated by Jews all over the world through Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights. Maccabee is a close cousin to William Wallace, leader of the Scottish rebellion against the British in Braveheart."
If this movie actually gets made, chances are we will get to see Gibson's Viking film up on the screen one day. That Viking movie is one of my most anticipated movies that may never get made.
What do you all think of Gibson taking on this story?