Mel Gibson, who has directed five films over a thirty-year timespan, has been shooting “Flight Risk” in Las Vegas since June 16th, according to Production Weekly.
The film was made allowed to continue production this past week. SAG exempted it as a “truly independent” film production that should not be interfered by the strike. I’m not sure what their criteria is exactly.
Gibson will be seated in the director’s chair for this one. It marks the first time he’s directed a movie since his 2016 Oscar-nominated wartime flick “Hacksaw Ridge.”
Lionsgate, the studio behind ‘Hacksaw’ is backing this latest one from Gibson which stars Mark Wahlberg as play a pilot transporting a dangerous criminal to trial. It sounds very commercial, but, given Gibson’s obsession for hardcore violence in the films that he’s directed, one would expect a hard R rating for this one.
Gibson, as a director, has never been one to shy away from violence: “The Passion of the Christ” “Braveheart,” “Hacksaw Ridge” and, his best work, “Apocalypto,” are four extremely violent movies.
Like him or not, Gibson has proven himself to be a very good director over these last 30 years. He even won a Best Director Oscar for 1995’s “Braveheart” — which I still think is a very good movie.
Gibson is no doubt a controversial figure. His downfall started when he lost his sobriety and went into the deep pits of alcoholism (primarily between 2005 and 2011). During that time he sexually harassed a police officer, yelled racist slurs, blamed the Jews for various things, and was caught on tape verbally abusing and harassing his girlfriend.
There’s a reason why they call him “Mad Mel”