Mel Gibson's Hollywood comeback is going into overdrive. After serving a long exile on the fringes of the industry, taking roles in B-movies, Gibson burst back onto the scene in 2016 with the release of his WWII epic Hacksaw Ridge. Violent and gut-wrenching, Hacksaw Ridge secured 6 Oscar nominations including one for Best Picture and another for Best Director, catapulting Gibson back onto the A-list.
With his directorial career back on-track, Gibson's next move is to re-establish himself as a bankable star. To that end, Gibson is reportedly set to sign on for the Will Ferrell/Mark Wahlberg comedy sequel Daddy's Home 2. After that, Gibson will return to playing a big-screen cop alongside one of his Hacksaw Ridge actors.
According to The Wrap, Gibson has joined the cast of Dragged Across Concrete, a crime thriller about a pair of cops who get suspended after an excessive-force incident and turn to the criminal underworld. Vince Vaughn will reportedly star alongside Gibson in the film for director S. Craig Zahler and Unified Pictures, Cinestate and Assemble Media. Zahler talked about his vision for the movie and his delight at casting Vaughn and Gibson in the key roles:
“‘Dragged Across Concrete’ is best suited to my goal of making a heartfelt, surprising, sad, funny, shocking, and memorable world with multiple viewpoints. As is often the case in my novels and screenplays, the protagonists are in perilous circumstances against which they struggle in different and surprising–though logical–ways. I am absolutely thrilled to have Mel and Vince agree to play the lead roles.”
Gibson and Vaughn have yet to appear together on-screen, but the two have of course collaborated before, with Vaughn taking on the role of drill sergeant Howell in Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge. Dragged Across Concrete will be Vaughn's second collaboration with director S. Craig Zahler, as the two are currently working on Brawl in Cell Block 99, which also stars Jennifer Carpenter and Don Johnson.
Gibson of course has played police officers on-screen before, most memorably in the '80s action franchise Lethal Weapon. Descriptions of Dragged Across Concrete make it sound like it will be a bit more serious and realistic than the comedic buddy-cop series Lethal Weapon. The Gibson-Vaughn pairing should make for an interesting dynamic, as both actors are known for their ability to go wildly off-script, bringing great off-kilter and dangerous energy to their performances.
This news continues a strong run for Gibson, who several years ago seemed to have been completely abandoned by Hollywood after a series of scandals including a drunken anti-Semitic/misogynistic rant unleashed during an arrest. Gibson has apparently been forgiven and is now back to making money for the movie industry. Hacksaw Ridge has been a certified hit, grossing $163 million worldwide. Gibson reportedly plans to follow up Hacksaw Ridge with a sequel to his blockbuster Passion of the Christ, to be titled Resurrection.
Source: The Wrap