#1 – Don Quixote
Terry Gilliam has struggled to adapt the classic novel about a knight chasing imaginary battles. So, why not unite forces with Gibson to get it done? I am sure the international markets would drool at the chance to finance a film with Gillian and Gibson in tow. Maybe the two can co-direct or maybe Mel can just star. In either case, this would become one of the most anticipated films of all time.
#2 – The Professor and The Madman
Sean Penn and Mel Gibson were both linked to the adaptation of the non-fiction book by Simon Winchester that chronicles the compiling of the Oxford English Dictionary. The twist came when one man who submitted thousands of word definitions turned out to be committed to an insane asylum. Definitely a smaller scale film than anything Gibson has made since THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE, but it would also be a must watch tale.
#3 – Crusade
Gibson has talked about directing a film sequel to THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, but I would rather see the director take on another era in history. We have had several films set during the Crusades, but Gibson’s take would have to be different than anyone else. I am confident that this wouldn’t just be BRAVEHEART redux but would it be so awful if it was?
#4 – IRON MAN 4
Robert Downey Jr made the suggestion of Gibson helming the fourth IRON MAN film and the Internet went wild. Gibson has never been involved with the superhero genre and this would be an awesome way to re-establish himself as a studio darling. Marvel Studios has taken gambles before, including on Downey, so why not let the face of their empire select a fellow fallen icon for resurrection in Hollywood?
#5 – Berserker
Another Gibson passion project that has never come together. At one point, Gibson had Leonardo DiCaprio set to star in a film set during the age of the Norse warriors. The Viking film was set to be filmed in period only dialogue, like APOCALYPTO, but never came to be. Maybe it can still happen, even if filmed in English. Am I the only one who wants to see DiCaprio and Tom Hardy reunite for this?
#6 – The Maccabees
Mel Gibson’s anti-Semitic meltdown all but doomed the chance for him to tell this Biblical story of a band of Jewish warriors who defend their faith and people and restored their kingdom in the shadows of Alexander the Great’s empire. As a Jewish person, I can say there are not very many films about badass Hebrews and I would love to have one. Gibson’s beliefs be damned, the guy can direct and I think he would do so without undermining the source material.
#7 – Rendezvous With Rama
Another film lingering in development for decades, this adaptation of the acclaimed Arthur C Clarke novel is one of the best works of science fiction never to become a movie. The mix of science and spiritual should appeal to Gibson who mined similar thematic territory in SIGNS. While I may not share Gibson’s religious beliefs, the man could imbue a project like this with the right amount of faith and skepticism.
#8 – A disaster epic
Mel Gibson is not Roland Emmerich nor is he ever going to be, but Gibson could do some magic with the right context. Brad Bird has been trying to make a film based on the 1906 San Francisco earthquake for a long time. I can easily see Mel Gibson focusing on specific characters within a chaotic disaster and deliver something on the scale of TITANIC but also with a personal touch to it.
#9 – A western
Mel has not made many westerns in his career but he definitely has used elements of the genre in films like BRAVEHEART. While MAVERICK was a light and breezy take on westerns, I would think Mel could direct his equivalent of UNFORGIVEN at this point in his career. Now that would be something to see.
#10 – A musical biopic
Mel Gibson doesn’t have the most extensive musical background, but he is an adept filmmaker who has tackled a range of topics. Giving a biopic centered on a figure like Freddie Mercury or Keith Moon, both projects that have been in development hell for years, could be a refreshing change of style for the Oscar winner. I would love to see what Gibson could do staging concert footage.
