Hollywood seems comfortable with getting into the Mel Gibson business again. The celebrated and shamed actor/director has recently been shown love by the Academy and now he’s getting back into the more mainstream side of the moviemaking. Considering the current climate for powerful men that have been caught on tape saying horrible things, maybe it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise.
Deadline reports that Gibson and the universally beloved John Lithgow with be not your daddy’s daddies in Daddy’s Home 2. The film, which marks Gibson’s first studio picture since 2010, puts the actors in the papa role opposite original stars Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg. Sean Anders returns to direct the sequel and here’s the general idea of what’s in store:
Father and step father, Dusty (Wahlberg) and Brad (Ferrell) are now working together to give their kids a perfect Christmas. When Dusty’s Dad (Gibson) and Brad’s Dad (Lithgow) arrive, their blended family conflicts rise to the surface.
In addition to popping up in front the camera for a big glitzy Hollywood comedy, Warner Bros. is apparently eyeing Gibson to serve as the director for their Suicide Squad sequel. There’s nothing locked in to those plans say The Hollywood Reporter, but both sides are in talks. THR‘s sources claim that Gibson is in the process of familiarizing himself with the material and the studio’s not putting all their eggs into the Gibson basket to find the right match.
Gibson would certainly be an intriguing choice as a Suicide Squad sequel helmer. His tone and touch would definitely be different than what DC has already provided, although the jury’s still out on what exactly a DC movie is expected to deliver. (Could he go full Hot Topic?) Can the man that referred to Batman v Superman as a “piece of sh*t” turn the tide of what’s been a polarizing run of movies to create a more critically appealing offering?
Suicide Squad 2 possibility or no, it seems like studios are shifting into embracing Mel Gibson following his period in partial exile over his anti-semitic, racist and abusive comments that bubbled up in multiple incidents. Whether or not audiences en masse do the same is still to be determined.
(Via Deadline & The Hollywood Reporter)
