Mel Gibson, 69, chows down on pasta in Rome amid work on sequel to one of his iconic films

Daily Mail​

10 hours ago

Mel Gibson was glimpsed having a laugh while chowing down on pasta in Rome - as he develops the sequel to one of his most iconic movies.
The 69-year-old actor and director has apparently traveled to the capital of Italy in order to work on his upcoming film Resurrection Of The Christ.
His picture will serve as the follow-up to his self-funded 2004 sleeper hit The Passion Of The Christ, directed by Gibson and starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus.
The first movie began with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and ended with him emerging from the tomb, so the next one will presumably cover the 40 days the Bible says he remained on earth after his return from the dead.
A source said Gibson is pre-production on the new film, via TMZ, and he was spotted indulging in the local cuisine in a restaurant on his downtime.
When he noticed that he was being observed, he mischievously goofed off a bit, pulling extravagant faces and grinning broadly.
The Braveheart star cut a casual figure during his latest outing, opting for a black V-neck t-shirt and a matching set of trousers.
Jazzing up the ensemble with a necklace, the Apocalypto director slung a fashionable set of gleaming sunglasses from his shirt.
The sighting comes just weeks after Gibson enjoyed an onstage reunion with Danny Glover, his co-star in another one of his legendary pictures, Lethal Weapon.
The co-stars were onstage at a fan expo in Philadelphia, during which they fielded questions about the hugely successful Lethal Weapon franchise and its previously announced and long delayed fifth instalment, which will be directed by Gibson.
Glover, 78 - whose Detective Roger Murtaugh famously claimed he was 'too old for this s**t' in all four Lethal Weapon instalments - was back in the spotlight some three years after his last screen appearance in 2022 black comedy American Dreamer.
Joining the veteran star, Gibson, 69 - Murtagh's unpredictable and highly volatile partner Martin Riggs - showed off an enormous, greying beard as he took to his seat at the Pennsylvania Convention Center during Saturday's expo.
Gibson previously confirmed that long-time co-star Danny will make an appearance in the latest film, reprising his role as LAPD Sergeant Murtaugh.
The Australian star also told how he asked for Glover's blessing to direct the movie following the death of director Richard Donner - who took charge of the first four films.
A source said Gibson is pre-production on the new film, via TMZ
The Braveheart star cut a casual figure during his latest outing
The co-stars were onstage at a fan expo in Philadelphia, during which they fielded questions about the hugely successful Lethal Weapon franchise
Reiterating his intention to direct the feature in 2022, Gibson told Entertainment Tonight: 'Yeah, I am directing that. I'm really looking forward to it.'
The star went on to add that his place behind the camera was bittersweet following the death of Donner in 2021.
He added: 'I wish I wasn't directing it. I wish Richard Donner was still here to do it but left us untimely, and he actually asked me, he said "Hey kid, if I don't make it, you'll take the reins, huh?" I told him to shut up.
'I think it's an honor for me to be able to carry the flag for him'.
And after getting Richard's blessing, Gibson told how he then turned to Glover to ask his thoughts on him directing, also confirming that his former co-star had agreed to reprise his iconic role.
Gibson added: 'I called Danny [Glover] up, of course, and said "Hey, dude, is it okay with you if I direct this?", to which Glover replied "Yeah, let's go".
He also insisted on having complete faith in Glover, adding: 'I know Danny's going to pull it off real well, too. He's kind of like the show pony in this one'.
Gibson made the big announcement about the new film in 2021, where he began his address by paying tribute to the filmmaker who had previously spearheaded the action-comedy franchise.
Gibson featured in the Lethal Weapon movies as the unpredictable and highly volatile partner of the Donald Glover character
Gibson also recalled that the filmmaker had given him his blessing to continue the series in the future
'The man who directed all the Lethal films, Richard Donner, he was a big guy,' he expressed.
Gibson also recalled that the filmmaker had given him his blessing to continue the series in the future.
He remarked that Donner 'was developing the screenplay and he got pretty far along with it. And he said to me one day, "Listen kid, if I kick the bucket you will do it." And I said: "Shut up."'
Gibson then noted that the filmmaker made a point of telling various individuals that the actor was more than capable of keeping the franchise going after his death.
'But he did indeed pass away. But he did ask me to do it and at the time I didn't say anything. He said it to his wife and to the studio and the producer. So I will be directing the fifth one.'
It's understood that plans to shoot the new film are now underway after years of delays, with original screenwriter Shane Black also onboard.
The film franchise also spawned a TV series, which ran for three seasons for 2021 with Clayne Crawford as Riggs and Damon Wayans as Murtaugh.