In what seems like a move to get back in the good graces of those offended by his anti-Semitic remarks made during his highly publicized arrest in 2006, actor and filmmaker Mel Gibson is working on a film that will tell the story of Jewish warrior Judah Maccabee.
Deadline reports Warner Bros. has made quite a strange move in getting Gibson to work with Basic Instinct and Showgirls writer Joe Eszterhas to script the revered story about how Maccabee teamed with his father and four brothers to lead the Jewish revolt against the Greek-Syrian armies that had conquered Judea in the second century B.C.
The Anti-Defamation League released a statement asking Warner Bros., which is producing the film with the actor, to “reconsider Gibson’s involvement in this project.”
“As a hero of the Jewish people and a universal hero in the struggle for religious liberty, Judah Maccabee deserves better. It would be a travesty to have the story of the Maccabees told by one who has no respect and sensitivity for other people’s religious views,” the statement reads. “Not only has Mel Gibson shown outward antagonism toward Jews and Judaism in his public statements and actions, but his previous attempt to bring biblical history to life on the screen was marred by anti-Semitism.”
