Mel Gibson making film about Judah Maccabee - this will end well

[SecondJudith]

From The Guardian’s article on it:

@The Guardian

In what is sure to be seen as an increasingly desperate attempt to rehabilitate himself within the Hollywood community, it has been annouced that Mel Gibson may direct and star in a film based on the exploits of legendary Jewish warrior Judah Maccabee.

Maccabee was the prime mover in the successful 167BC revolt of the Judean state against the Seleucid empire, which had conquered the region at the beginning of the 2nd century BC. The Jewish festival of Hanukah is a commemoration of Maccabee’s restoration of Jewish worship in the temple in Jerusalem in 165BC. In the modern era, Maccabee became a powerful symbolic figure for Zionist campaigners against the British authorities in the run-up to Israeli statehood in 1948.

The screenwriter is Joe Eszterhas. Of Showgirls fame. Yes, I said “of Showgirls fame”.

What could possibly go wrong?

[Malthus]

I must admit, I’m interested. Should be a hoot.

[AClockworkMelon]

I actually think he’s a pretty decent director, if Apocalypto and Braveheart are any indication. I think it’s kind of weird to cast yourself as the star of a movie you’re making and yeah, it’s funny that he’s going to play a Jewish hero, but I don’t think it’ll necessarily suck. It may, just not necessarily is all.

[cckerberos]

I agree. Whatever his character flaws, I think he makes decent movies. This could be good.

[Little_Nemo]

Interesting choice to depict Judah as leading an uprising against the English.

[Quartz]

Hopefully he’s taking the time to educate himself and fight his own ignorance.

Equally hopefully, he’ll use Handel’s music; if he dramatises Handel’s oratorio, it could be awesome.

[Hypno-Toad]

So I guess we know who he’ll blame if this fails.

[Diogenes_the_Cynic]

It’s a good idea for a movie, and Gibson has shown that he can direct this kind of historical epic very well. I don’t think he’d be wise to star in it, though. Never mind the antisemitic baggage (and don’t forget the “pack of niggers” thing), the domestic violence stuff was so ugly that I don’t think audiences could look past that and root for him as a hero anymore.

As an interesting bit of trivia. Joe Esterhas’ father was a Nazi war criminal. Joe did not know this himself until he was an adult, though and has never shown any antisemitic inclinations of his own. He did, in a weird coincidence, once write a movie called, The Music Box, which starred Jessica Lange as a lawyer who defends her father after he is accused of having been a Nazi and committing war crimes in Hungary during WWII. He also wrote a movie called The Betrayed about a woman who discovers that her boyfriend is secretly the leader of a violent white supremacist group. Esterhas wrote these screenplays before he found out about his father. He talks about it in one of his books, and thinks he may have had subconscious suspicions about his father when he wrote those screenplays.

[Diogenes_the_Cynic]

@Little_Nemo

Interesting choice to depict Judah as leading an uprising against the English.

Or to give the Jews Scottish accents.

Eleazar: Fine speech, now wha’ do we do?
Judah: Just be yerselves.
Eleazar: Where are ya goin’?
Judah: Ah’m goin’ ta peck a fight.
Eleazar: Well, we did na’ get dressed up for nothin’ then.

[Sampiro]

Antiochus IV Epiphanes just got 540% gayer.

[SecondJudith]

@Little_Nemo

Interesting choice to depict Judah as leading an uprising against the English.

He’s got a ready-made villain in AntiOCHus.

[Diogenes_the_Cynic]

It would probably be a lot better idea for Gibson to play Antiochus than Judah. He’s really too old to play Judah anyway, though he might not be a bad choice to play Mattathias, the patriarch of the Maccabees (he would die fairly early on, though).

[digs]

Apocolypto was filmed using an ancient language. So I’m assuming Leave it to Judah will be all in Yiddish.

“Judah boychick, don’t listen to the meshuggina alter cockers. Dey’s nudniks, I tells ya!”

[John_Mace]

@Diogenes_the_Cynic

As an interesting bit of trivia. Joe Esterhas’ father was a Nazi war criminal. Joe did not know this himself until he was an adult, though and has never shown any antisemitic inclinations of his own. He did, in a weird coincidence, once write a movie called, The Music Box, which starred Jessica Lange as a lawyer who defends her father after he is accused of having been a Nazi and committing war crimes in Hungary during WWII. He also wrote a movie called The Betrayed about a woman who discovers that her boyfriend is secretly the leader of a violent white supremacist group. Esterhas wrote these screenplays before he found out about his father. He talks about it in one of his books, and thinks he may have had subconscious suspicions about his father when he wrote those screenplays.

I saw The Music Box. I liked it.

[Eugene_of_Sandwich]

Yeah, if Mel has sobered up this could be epic. If Mel and Joe dreamed this us over bowls of ice…this could be epic.

[Simplicio]

@Diogenes_the_Cynic

(and don’t forget the “pack of niggers” thing)

Maybe he’ll do Nat Turner next.

[Marley23]

@Diogenes_the_Cynic

It would probably be a lot better idea for Gibson to play Antiochus than Judah. He’s really too old to play Judah anyway, though he might not be a bad choice to play Mattathias, the patriarch of the Maccabees (he would die fairly early on, though).

How old is Judah supposed to have been at the time? We all know Hollywood has a long history of stars pretending they look much younger than they really do, but Gibson is 55. Are we talking about him playing a guy who was 25 to 30, or a guy who was 40 or so?

[MsRobyn]

My interest is piqued, but only because of morbid curiosity. I’m not sure I would pay money to see it in the theater, but it might be worth checking out on video.

[MPB_in_Salt_Lake]

I wonder if a righteous, upstanding Christian Gentleman like Brother Gibson feels that the Jews before the time of Christ were a different, more spiritually exalted people altogether, before they, y’know, murdered the Son Of God and all…

(I guess the whole “Jews started all of the world’s wars!!!” business is on the back burner for now, but drunkenly calling a lady cop “Shoogar-tits” is ripe for a revival, IMHO)

[RickJay]

@Diogenes_the_Cynic

It’s a good idea for a movie, and Gibson has shown that he can direct this kind of historical epic very well. I don’t think he’d be wise to star in it, though. Never mind the antisemitic baggage (and don’t forget the “pack of niggers” thing), the domestic violence stuff was so ugly that I don’t think audiences could look past that and root for him as a hero anymore.

He’s also getting a little old for the action hero bit. He’s 55, and looks it.