Mel Gibson is in talks to helm war thriller ‘Destroyer’.
The 62-year-old actor is believed to be heading behind the camera for a directing credit on the World War II movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The project would mark Gibson’s second war film directing role in a row, after having previously worked on ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ – which starred Andrew Garfield – in 2016, which served as his directorial comeback.
‘Destroyer’ is a naval war movie from Hollywood Gang Productions, and is based on the non-fiction book ‘Hell From the Heavens: The Epic Story of the USS Laffey and World War II’s Greatest Kamikaze Attack’ by John Wukovits.
The movie – which is set to start filming in the fall – will tackle the Battle of Okinawa in the Pacific Theater during World War II, taking on a different angle of the same fight which was detailed in ‘Hacksaw Ridge’.
In the book, Wukovits writes of the heroic story of how the crewmen of the Laffey defended their ship from an astounding 22 kamikaze attacks on April 16, 1945.
Gibson’s longterm girlfriend Rosalind Ross is said to have penned the script for the wartime feature.
The directing credit comes as Gibson is also being eyed for an acting role in ‘The Six Billion Dollar Man’, where he would star opposite Mark Wahlberg.
Warner Bros.’ big screen adaptation of the 1970s television series is due to begin shooting in the summer, and as of the time of writing, it is unknown what role Gibson is in talks for.
Wahlberg is starring as Steve Austin, a downed pilot who is saved by an operation that makes him part machine.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Wahlberg is keen to get Gibson on board after the pair worked together on the Paramount comedy ‘Daddy’s Home 2’ in 2017, where they played father and son.
Mel Gibson to direct Destroyer
