The Braveheart and Mad Max star Mel Gibson is in talks to direct the war flick Hacksaw Ridge. The movie, besides having the capable actor at the helm may enjoy a surplus of talent with Andrew Garfield as a possible lead. The details of the movie are still at an early stage of discussion but the prospects look mighty positive indeed. Mel Gibson is by no means a stranger to the directorial chair with controversial films such as The Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto under his belt. Not to mention his debut with Braveheart, a classic when it comes to strong, well-built protagonists. World War II is a very interesting albeit hard subject to tackle considering that a lot of historical fact is at play when dealing with such a heavy time period. This, however, seems to be in Mel Gibson’s alley.
According to Deadline, the story behind Hacksaw Ridge will deal with US army medic Desmond T. Doss who served during the Battle of Okinawa and refused to kill. The conscientious war objector was awarded a Medal of Honor by President Truman for his acts of bravery in the face of danger and for saving many lives. Judging by the brief synopsis this looks as a worthy Oscar contender yet there is still a lot of details left to be revealed. If Mel Gibson will end up helming Hacksaw Ridge, he will be reunited with Braveheart writer Randall Wallace who co-wrote the script with Robert Schenkkan and had been also attached to direct. The movie will be produced by Pandemonium with Bill Mechanic (Mechanic) as head producer and David Permut (Face Off), Terry Benedict (The Death of Reasonable Doubt) and Steve Longi (Youth in Revolt) also attached.
Mel Gibson has recently starred in the third installment of The Expendables and is in post production on Blood Father, Jean Francois Richet’s latest outing, in which he plays an ex-con who must protect his daughter from drug dealers trying to kill her. Mel Gibson’s last directorial epic was the 2006 movie Apocalypto. After so many years it will be a treat for the actor to once again put the director’s cap on. Especially if The Amazing Spider-man’s Andrew Garfield will fill the protagonist’s shoes. Hacksaw Ridge is currently slated for a 2016 release.