Mel Gibson Teams Up With Another A-List Star In His Return To Directing
Mel Gibson is back in the director's chair, working on Flight Risk with Mark Wahlberg.
Mel Gibson is making his directing comeback. As reported by Deadline, Gibson is attached to direct Flight Risk, a thriller starring Mark Wahlberg. The film will mark Gibson’s first feature directorial outing since 2016’s Oscar-winning Hacksaw Ridge starring Andrew Garfield.
Flight Risk will feature Wahlberg as a pilot tasked with flying a threatening criminal to trial. Lionsgate attached Mel Gibson and Mark Wahlberg to writer Jared Rosenberg’s script from 2020 Blacklist. The package is one of the most tantalizing deals for sale on the Cannes Film Market.
Mel Gibson has only directed five feature films since his 1993 debut The Man Without a Face. He often takes long breaks between films; Hacksaw Ridge was released seven years ago. Before Gibson gets to Flight Risk, he is already in pre-production on The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection, a sequel to his 2004 box office hit.
Mel Gibson is also attached to direct and star in Lethal Weapon 5, a continuation of the franchise that started with Gibson and Danny Glover in 1987. On the acting side, he is slated to appear in this year’s thriller Informant, as well as the John Wick spin-off The Continental.
The three-part prequel takes place in the 1970s and details the events leading to Ian McShane’s Winston Scott, played here by Colin Woodell, becoming the proprietor of New York’s Continental Hotel. Mel Gibson will play a character called Cormac, but little else is known about the role. The gun-slinging miniseries will hit Peacock this September.
Flight Risk will serve as a reunion for Mel Gibson and Mark Wahlberg. The pair worked together in Daddy’s Home 2 and last year’s Father Stu. Wahlberg also has a busy slate ahead with projects like the action thriller Our Man From Jersey, the action comedy The Family Plan, and the reboot film The Six Billion Dollar Man.
Mel Gibson spent nearly a decade working less than usual after a recording of the actor’s racist remarks was leaked to the press. Prior to that, Gibson had come under fire for anti-semitic comments.
Gibson made the comments while under arrest for drunk driving. The incident landed him in an alcoholism recovery program. He has since made several apologies and spent years on the outside of Hollywood looking in.
In the past decade, Mel Gibson has walked a slow path to rehabilitating his reputation and career. Thanks to advocacy from heavy hitters like Robert Downey Jr., the world has started to change its tune about Gibson. The success of Hacksaw Ridge was a turning point for the filmmaker, who has once again found himself in the good graces of Hollywood.
With just five films over 30 years, Mel Gibson has earned over half a billion dollars at the box office with his directorial efforts. Much of that total comes from The Passion of the Christ, which earned a whopping $370 million in 2004.
Now Mel Gibson is headed back to the director’s chair to work once again with Mark Wahlberg. Flight Risk is one of many hot packages on this year’s Cannes Film Market, proving that, even after years of controversy, Mel Gibson is back in business.
