Mel Gibson Tapped To Direct Remake Of ‘The Wild Bunch’ And People Aren’t Happy About It
Mel Gibson is set to direct a remake of classic western The Wild Bunch, but there are people on social media who aren’t happy about it. On Twitter, some said that Gibson’s history of domestic violence accusations and the use of racial slurs should preclude him from getting high-profile assignments like this.
“Mel Gibson admitted to domestic violence, repeatedly used racial epithet’s on tape, and has a history of making anti-semitic statements,” Twitter user Yashar Ali wrote.” “Meanwhile, there are a long list of women in entertainment who don’t have careers anymore simply because they were labeled ‘difficult’ by men.”
“Here’s Hollywood for you- day country is protesting having a sexual predator on the supreme court, Mel Gibson, a violent domestic abuser, gets a new writing a directing gig,” Melissa Silverstein tweeted.
As Reuters reported back in 2011, Mel Gibson pleaded no contest on a domestic violence charge made by his ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva, a woman he shares a child with.
Gibson was sentenced to three years probation, along with one year of counseling and community service.
Private telephone conversations between Gibson and Grigorieva were leaked before the sentencing in which the actor makes violent threats.
According to Reuters, Gibson admitted that was indeed his voice on the recording but said that it didn’t represent the way thinks about people.
Here's Hollywood for you- day country is protesting having a sexual predator on the supreme court, Mel Gibson, a violent domestic abuser, gets a new writing a directing gig.https://t.co/PhHudt9E9W
— Melissa Silverstein (@melsil) September 24, 2018
“It’s one terribly, awful moment in time, said to one person, in the span of one day and doesn’t represent what I truly believe or how I’ve treated people my entire life.” Gibson said in an interview with Deadline Hollywood, as reported by Reuters.
“I don’t care if I don’t act anymore,” he added. “I could easily not act again. It’s not a problem. I’m going to do something now because I want to do it and because it’s fun.”
In 2006, Gibson was recorded using anti-Semitic slurs in a video taken during a police stop for drunk driving.
Mel Gibson will write and direct a remake of the neo-Western classic The Wild Bunch, which Warner Bros. has been attempting to remake for years. pic.twitter.com/p7Asyr2qog
— Fandango (@Fandango) September 24, 2018
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Gibson will also executive produce The Wild Bunch‘s remake. He will also co-write the script.
As the article notes, the original 1969 Sam Peckinpah film was incredibly violent and Gibson’s past directorial efforts have shown that he can handle this type of material. He directed The Passion of the Christ, Apocalypto, and Hacksaw Ridge, which was nominated for an Academy Award. Gibson also won an Oscar in 1995 for directing Braveheart.
But given his past, there will undoubtedly always be questions on whether the role should have gone to someone else equally qualified. Similar questions have been raised for other men who have been outed for reprehensible behavior recently and opinions are divided on whether they should still have careers in the entertainment industry or not.
