Is Hollywood now about to shun Mel Gibson, with big name stars keeping a distance from him which could be a lethal weapon to any future projects he uses his mega-wealth to finance himself? It sounds as if the first shoe in what is likely to be a virtual shoe factory has dropped on Gibson with news that Leonardo DiCaprio has backed out of a Gibson project.
But it’s not the news that should raise some eyebrows and bring a knowing “AHA!” to those who follow the film industry. It’s the news story which has an unnamed quote — indicating the news source didn’t feel he or she should give the info without agreeing to some kind of identifying info:
As the controversy over Mel Gibson’s rage-fueled rant tapes and domestic violence probe continue to unfold, the site that has leaked those shocking recordings, RadarOnline.com reported that one of the “Lethal Weapon” actor’s upcoming projects has lost its leading man.
“Inception” star Leonardo DiCaprio has reportedly withdrawn from a planned movie chronicling the exploits of Viking warriors that Gibson was slated to direct. “Not a chance,” said an unnamed source close to DiCaprio.
The site claimed that the latest setback to Gibson’s once-blockbuster Hollywood career — he was dropped by his longtime talent agency in the wake of the tape scandal — is another signal that the actor/director may have difficulty bouncing back from his latest scandal and regain his once high-flying star status.
The Viking film would have been DiCaprio’s first project with Gibson, but the unnamed source said that the meticulous actor — who has avoided a major public scandal during his nearly 20-year long career in movies — did not want to risk his reputation by being associated with Gibson.
“Leo has earned the right to pick and choose who he works with, and Mel Gibson is not one of them,” the source reportedly said. A spokesperson for DiCaprio could not be reached for comment at press time. The untitled Viking movie was being co-produced by Gibson’s Icon Productions and was slated to begin shooting in the fall.
The MTV article notes that DiCaprio had earlier expressed interest in working with Gibson:
As the controversy over Mel Gibson’s rage-fueled rant tapes and domestic violence probe continue to unfold, the site that has leaked those shocking recordings, RadarOnline.com reported that one of the “Lethal Weapon” actor’s upcoming projects has lost its leading man.
“Inception” star Leonardo DiCaprio has reportedly withdrawn from a planned movie chronicling the exploits of Viking warriors that Gibson was slated to direct. “Not a chance,” said an unnamed source close to DiCaprio.
The site claimed that the latest setback to Gibson’s once-blockbuster Hollywood career — he was dropped by his longtime talent agency in the wake of the tape scandal — is another signal that the actor/director may have difficulty bouncing back from his latest scandal and regain his once high-flying star status.
The Viking film would have been DiCaprio’s first project with Gibson, but the unnamed source said that the meticulous actor — who has avoided a major public scandal during his nearly 20-year long career in movies — did not want to risk his reputation by being associated with Gibson.
“Leo has earned the right to pick and choose who he works with, and Mel Gibson is not one of them,” the source reportedly said. A spokesperson for DiCaprio could not be reached for comment at press time. The untitled Viking movie was being co-produced by Gibson’s Icon Productions and was slated to begin shooting in the fall.
This suggests that in light of the uproar over Gibson, DiCaprio — or his team — decided he simply could not be associated with Gibson due to what it would do to his own brand name to be associated with the Gibson brand name — which is now clearly damaged. Most likely beyond complete repair.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.