14 DAY TRIAL // If Liam Neeson can do it, then so can Mel Gibson. Since Hollywood is showing such interest in aging action stars (Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone have also been busier than ever), the controversial star and director is also looking into getting a slice of the money pie with a new project.
Deadline has learned that Gibson is in talks to star in a “Taken”-style action thriller called “Blood Father.” “Taken” is the movie that launched Neeson as a bona fide action star, with the Irish actor playing a retired special agent whose daughter is kidnapped in Paris.
Obviously, Gibson would be playing a similar character in a similar story. Hollywood scores big on originality once more, not.
“Scripted by The Town‘s Peter Craig, it’s about an ex-con who reunites with his estranged wayward 16-year old daughter to protect her from drug dealers who are trying to kill her. It’s being fast tracked by Why Not Productions and Chris Briggs,” the report says.
The film will be directed by Jean Francois Richet and will go into production in May in New Mexico. If it’s successful, expect more installments, just like it happened with “Taken.”
However, unlike with “Taken,” this one will star Mel Gibson. Whether you like to admit to it or not, his popularity has taken a huge hit since his 2006 DUI arrest, when he launched on a foul-mouthed anti-Semite tirade against the arresting officers. The Oksana Grigorieva scandal also served to paint him as a range monster who would say anything to intimidate the people he no longer wants in his life.
What I’m saying is that, though talented, Gibson has to work hard to get back into the good graces of the public. At this point, planning a franchise around him is risky at best.