THEY'RE NOT TAKING A CHANCE THIS TIME

Interesting how quickly Disney lined up for the rights to distribute Mel Gibson's new film, Apocalypto. Recall that the last movie he did was also filmed in a "dead" language or two, and they said it would never sell tickets. Of course, critics also said the same thing about Dances With Wolves since a lot of dialogue was in Lakota Sioux with subtitles. I don't recall the exact number, but I believe that movie went on to great acclaim and won somewhere between 7 and 10 Oscars. Mel's is in a dead language again...can't wait to hear them roll their eyes at this one. Considering he seems to be the only filmaker in Hollywood with an original idea (please see remakes of Dukes of Hazzard, Herbie, The Longest Yard, and soon The Poseiden Adventure), I say keep 'em coming Mel!

For the record, The Passion of the Christ made $611 million worldwide.

According to reports in America over the weekend, Mr Gibson has written the script, will direct and produce the movie, Apocalypto, through his Icon production company, but he will not act in the film. The film will be based on the Mayan civilisation of central America, of around 1000 BC. Shooting is due to begin in October with the release due next summer.

And the harping begins. Big surprise...bigger yawn. Guess they didn't learn a thing.

Empire magazine today sounded a note of scepticism about Mr Gibson's apparently opting to replicate the successful formula of Passion, however. "After all, the success of Passion lay largely on two elements: the support of the immense religious movement in the States, and the controversy that drew everyone else to go have a look out of curiosity's sake", the online edition of the magazine related.

"In the absence of those factors, you're going to be left with a struggle to persuade anyone but lecturers in Mezoamerican studies to attend... Frankly, we'd be surprised if an R-rated action film in Mayan breaks box office records".