Warner Bros. has hired Mel Gibson to co-write and direct its upcoming remake of Sam Peckinpah’s 1969 Western “The Wild Bunch,” but the news wasn’t exactly met with cheers on social media. Gibson has a history of controversial behavior, ranging from making anti-Semitic comments to being convicted of battering his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva. The director’s past reemerged on social media in reaction to his high profile new directing gig.
Sarah Silverman took to Twitter to call out Gibson’s anti-Semitic past, sharing an article about Gibson’s “Wild Bunch” remake with a caption that read, “Fucking Jews. The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.” The words are Gibson’s own from when he was pulled over in 2006 for speeding and drunk driving. Silverman was joined by numerous film writers in rallying against the news of Gibson’s latest directing project.
“Here’s Hollywood for you,” wrote Women in Hollywood founder Melissa Silverstein. “[The] day the country is protesting having a sexual predator on the supreme court [Brett Kavanaugh], Mel Gibson, a violent domestic abuser, gets a new writing a directing gig.”
New York Magazine writer Yashar Ali was even more blunt. “Mel Gibson admitted to domestic violence, repeatedly used racial epithet’s on tape, and has a history of making anti-semitic statements,” he wrote on social media. “Meanwhile there are a long list of women in entertainment who don’t have careers anymore simply because they were labeled ‘difficult’ by men.”
Gibson is set to executive produce his “Wild Bunch” remake and write the screenplay with Bryan Bagby. After being blacklisted in Hollywood for nearly a decade because of his anti-Semitic remarks, Gibson has slowly been making a comeback as both an actor and director. His 2016 World War II drama “Hacksaw Ridge” earned him Oscar nominations for best picture and best director, while as an actor he’s appeared in studio comedies like “Daddy’s Home 2.” “The Wild Bunch” will be Gibson’s first directorial effort since “Ridge.”
IndieWire has reached out to Warner Bros. for comment.
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