Oh the joke possibilities… Anyway, word has come out of Variety today that erstwhile movie superstar and current *non* anti-Semite Mel Gibson is looking to finally get back in front of the camera after roughly five years of drinking, killing Mayans and *not* offending the Jewish crowd. And he’s doing it by reteaming with his Maverick co-star, Jodie Foster on Foster’s first directorial gig in nearly fifteen years, The Beaver. In the film, Gibson will play a depressed man who finds solace in wearing a beaver
hand-puppet. On top of helming, Foster will play the role of the man’s
wife.
Jim Carrey and later Steve Carell / Jay Roach were previously attached to the project at certain points, but Foster eventually brought it to old pal Gibson. The script was on the Blacklist – the list of the best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood – and was written by Kyle Killen. If the story goes more the comedic route, it would mark the first time that Gibson has gone for straight laughs since 2000’s What Women Want. Despite the quips above, I do hope Gibson can get back behind the whee- er, on the horse so to speak as his on screen work is usually solid. And Foster’s know to do okay in front of a camera from time to time. And together they shared a nice, fun chemistry in Maverick. Plus there’s a hand puppet, so how could it fail?