Mel Gibson takes up Jewish film for Warner Bros.

GibsonIn a sensational development given his good reputation for anti-Semitic remarks, Mel Gibson is joining with "Showgirls" scribe Joe Eszterhas on the script about Jewish hero Judah Maccabee.Set at Warner Bros., Gibson has first choice to direct the drama being created through his Icon Prods. banner.Maccabee would be a legendary Jewish warrior who, together with his father and four siblings, brought a revolt from the Greek-Syrian armies that mastered Judea within the second century B.C. The feast of Hanukkah remembers the restoration of Jewish worship in the temple in Jerusalem after Maccabee removed the questionnable statuary.Gibson, who most lately starred in Jodie Foster's "The Beaver," last directed "Apocalypto" in 2006. His next film, "Generate An Income Spent My Summer time Vacation," has already established difficulty finding U.S. distribution within the wake from the actor's troubles stemming from his split from ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva.Eszterhas has lengthy been intrigued by Jewish styles, getting written the 1980s films "Music Box" and "Tricked" for director Costa-Gavras and producer Irwin Winkler.Gibson, who's presently without agency representation, is repped by Shanahan Management around australia, while ICM and BMP repetition Eszterhas. Contact Shaun Sneider at shaun.sneider@variety.com

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