Mel Gibson Returns to Acting in 'Edge of Darkness'
Filed under: Action, Drama, Casting, Mystery & Suspense, Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
I am bracing myself for the negative comments on this one. Variety has announced that Mel Gibson is taking the lead role in Edge of Darkness, the big-screen adaptation of the 1985 BBC miniseries. It will be Gibson's first acting role since Signs and We Were Soldiers in 2002. He will play a straitlaced police officer whose activist daughter is killed. He takes on investigation of the case, and discovers a trail of corruption that led to his daughter's death. Sounds just up Gibson's alley. He's been a fan of the miniseries for years.
It is being directed by Martin Campbell, who also directed the BBC miniseries, and penned by William Monahan, who was the Oscar-winner behind The Departed. Graham King (also an Oscar winner for The Departed) is producing, alongside Michael Wearing (who produced the BBC original). Filming is set to begin in August, on location in Boston. A solid team all around, and I don't think I've ever seen a bad BBC production.
I won't deny it -- I'm pleased to see Gibson return to the big screen. I have always been a fan of his. While his behavior was inexcusable and regrettable, everyone deserves a second chance. Everyone has their demons and I have wished Gibson the best in overcoming his. I owe Braveheart my history degree -- which is a story for another time, anyway.
And with that, scream about the news all you like, but please try to keep it clean and respectful. Hate speech is hate speech, no matter who it is directed at.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-29-2008 @ 10:16AM
BondsBabe said...
I'm not a fan of Gibson lately, but he has done some great work in the past and the guy does have to work. Plus since he's not directing the picture, it knocks some of the ego out. It might just work.
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4-29-2008 @ 10:20AM
Kevin said...
This isn't an autobiography, so in my opinion his personal life has nothing to do with it. The crew sounds impressive and the story is compelling. If it comes together in the right way then I'll definitely see it, regardless of how much I may dislike Gibsons personality.
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4-29-2008 @ 11:26AM
uforeader said...
he's a great actor, and i look forward to seeing this.
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4-29-2008 @ 11:46AM
DerekVL said...
Good on you Mel! Been waiting for him to come back for a LONG time, he'll always be one of my favorites.
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4-29-2008 @ 12:15PM
Gina said...
"While his behavior was inexcusable and regrettable, everyone deserves a second chance. Everyone has their demons and I have wished Gibson the best in overcoming his."
I couldn't agree more. Gibson's done some really good work and I would be very happy to see him get it together again and leave the demons behind. Best wishes to him.
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4-29-2008 @ 12:55PM
Travis Tidmore said...
I'm excited. While I thought Passion was amazingly shot and really enjoyed the spectacle of Apacalypto, I've missed his acting.
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4-29-2008 @ 1:25PM
Tigerlily said...
Frankly, I've missed Mel, so I'm thrilled to seem him back in front of the camera. Looking forward to it Mel!
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4-29-2008 @ 4:40PM
Steven said...
Don't care much for him as a person, but he is an underrated actor. And I'd much rather see him acting than directing.
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4-29-2008 @ 5:32PM
AJ Wiley said...
Ooh, this has the potential to be great. I've enjoyed both Gibson's acting and directing careers, so I look forward to this.
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4-30-2008 @ 12:36AM
Sacredpixel said...
Mel Rockzorz! His personality is great. He's still super talented. Only time will tell how this project unfolds.
Go Mel.
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4-30-2008 @ 4:13AM
JohnRivers said...
NO!
Anyone, but that christian nutcase Mel! 'Edge of Darkness' for those who haven't seen it is a bleak, but brilliant thriller drenched in 1980s paranoia starring Bob Peck (Jurassic Park, Slipstream) and Joe Don Baker (Goldeneye, Cape Fear). It's shot exquisitely, it starts like a detective drama and ends up like James Bond... but MUCH more real and then again, more surreal too...
God knows how they'll attempt to get Troy Kennedy Martin's references to the Gaia hypothesis, feuding Medieval Knight groups and the uncomfortable themes of incest, bereavement and mental breakdown into it. The only saving grace is Martin Campbell on direction.
PS - You owe Braveheart your history degree? You know how inaccurate that story really is?!
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4-30-2008 @ 4:45AM
Elisabeth said...
Yes, I do. I've been to Scotland, too, and visited numerous obscure sites connected to Wallace, and the Scots War of Independence. I have a shelf of books on the topic -- and you're more than welcome to read the travel log of my trip, as it's on MySpace and my Blogger, if you doubt my ability to separate fact from fiction.
I've always been interested in history -- and I liked the movie so much (seen as an impressionable teenager) that I wanted to know the "real" story. A love of obsessive research led me to studying history in college. I even specialized in three areas -- Russian history, medieval history, and medieval literature. So, as silly as it is, enjoying one movie led me to everything from Chaucer to Trotsky.
Incidentally, your post was exactly what I asked people NOT to do. "Christian nut case" falls quite neatly into the category. I don't agree with Gibson's religious or political views, but frankly, slurs like that are just as bad as the ones he used.
4-30-2008 @ 5:01AM
JohnRivers said...
Elizabeth
first of let me apologise for the Mel comment. Sorry, I dearly love the original drama series and I overreacted. The man has said some frankly despicable things and I have to agree that acting like him is not the way forward. To be fair to be to me half your post got chopped off in my Google Reader so I hadn't read the whole article before ranting, my apologies.
As for Braveheart, that IS a movie that really grinds my gears, and again I wouldn't have commented had I not just finished reading Marc Morris's excellent biography of Edward the I (http://tinyurl.com/5bw8ae). If that movie inspired you to visit Scotland and seek out the truth yourself and then a wider world then I think that's fantastic.
I obviously got out of bed the wrong side this morning, I think I'll try and start the day again. :)
John
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4-30-2008 @ 5:04AM
Elisabeth said...
No worries. Having suffered from insomnia two nights in a row, I'm pretty cranky myself. ;)
I'm in the middle of Weir's Queen Isabella biography right now, so our tastes are overlapping. I've had it sitting on my shelf forever.
I admit, I aimed a very obscene gesture Edward I's way when I was in Westminster Abbey. My loyalty will always remain north of the border. :P
4-30-2008 @ 5:15AM
JohnRivers said...
Well I was fascinated with Edward's early life, the De Montfort rebellion etc, so it was that that lead me to research more about him.
And who knows, maybe I made a similarly obscene gesture at the Stone of Scone while in the Crown Jewels room at Edinburgh Castle back in December? ;-)
John
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4-30-2008 @ 5:17AM
Elisabeth said...
Brave man! I remember the guard there had an Uzi -- I was afraid to reach in my pocket for a Kleenex in case he thought I was going for a camera or a gun.
We nearly crossed paths, I was there in October.
4-30-2008 @ 5:20AM
JohnRivers said...
Oh nice, did you see them firing the One O'Clock Gun?!
Sorry, realised I've dragged this wildly off-topic.. Erm, the climax to the original Edge of Darkness takes place in Scotland, um, Edward I was a well known anti-semite... I'd better stop there. :)
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