Another Mel Gibson backlash has started. This week it was confirmed that Gibson was hired by the WB to remake the 1968 Sam Peckinpah-directed classic, "The Wild Bunch." I mentioned how Peckinpah, a well-known working alcoholic who pushes boundaries with his violent movies, and Gibson seemed to be a match made in heaven or is that hell? Regardless, a pushback has occurred, and it all started with a Sarah Silverman tweet reminding of Gibson's persistent history of antisemitism:
A scathing indictment of Gibson being hired by the WB the surfaced, courtesy of The Atlantic, and a domino effect materialized with other outlets pouncing on the Gibson hire.
Controversies with Gibson (there are too many to mention) 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 thanks to The Playlist, "was caught on tape verbally abusing and harassing his girlfriend".
Suffice to say, Gibson repented, apologized numerous times, said he wasn't in the right place when his alcoholism came back, etc. In 2015 he wrote and directed "Hacksaw Ridge," which was deemed his comeback and all but reintegrated him in the industry by garnering multiple Oscar nods for Best Picture and, yes, Best Director. However, that was before the #MeToo movement started, a movement that has all but destroyed Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, and other filmmakers' careers in Hollywood.
It will be interesting to see what Warner does with Gibson.