Mel Gibson Sniffing Around Jodie Foster’s ‘Beaver’
Posted by Rob Hunter (rob@filmschoolrejects.com) on July 10, 2009
Before you get any dirty-minded ideas as to where this news post is going understand that I am a legitimate journalist and that is a legitimate title. And I could just as easily (and accurately) said that Mel Gibson may be sticking his hand into Jodie Foster’s Beaver.
And here’s what I mean by that… The Beaver is a script by Kyle Killen that topped last year’s Blacklist. Sounds ominous I know, but that’s a list of the best unproduced screenplays floating around Hollywood as voted by the lucky few who’ve actually read them. The story is about a depressed man who comes to enjoy the company of a hand puppet in the form of a beaver. The man’s life begins to improve… but is it due to the puppet? And will it last?
The script caught major attention last year and at different times had both Steve Carell and Jim Carrey attached to star. Jay Roach was also rumored to be directing, but now it appears the names have all changed. Per THR, Foster is attached to direct the film and she’s currently trying to woo Gibson to star as the depressed (and possibly unstable) lead. Foster would also co-star as Gibson’s wife.
The two last worked together in 1994’s Maverick for director Richard Donner. Foster’s directed twice previously with Home For The Holidays and Little Man Tate. Gibson’s been out of the news in the past few years (well, entertainment news anyway) but is set to return to the screen after a five year hiatus in the upcoming Edge of Darkness.
I’m a fan of Gibson as an actor and this role seems perfect for him. It’s a mix of comedy, drama, and crazy, and I think he’d do a fantastic job at relaying all of that to the audience.
What other actors could you picture in The Beaver?
Read more articles by Rob Hunter
