The roles keep on coming forMel Gibsonas the actor has now boarded the upcoming fantasy adventure movieBoys of Summerto star in a lead role. Rising actor Mason Thames (The Black Phone) is also set to star alongside Gibson in the feature, which hails from Nickel City Pictures, Novo Media Group, and Pastime Pictures. Written by Cornelius Uliano and Bryan Schulz (The Peanuts Movie), this new flickBoys of Summerwill be directed by David Henrie (Wizards of Waverly Place).
“Historically, fairy tales used monsters to personify our deepest fears while empowering young people to overcome them. Now more than ever, we need narratives that inspire courage in the face of darkness.Boys of Summeris a throwback story that conjures up the magic and nostalgia of childhood as its heroes fight monsters old and new,” Henrie said of the project.
A reported synopsis forBoys of Summerreveals that the movie follows “a local boy (Thames), who after his best friend is mysteriously taken, begins to suspect that a supernatural entity may be hunting the children of Martha’s Vineyard. After seeking the help of an aging detective (Gibson), they soon discover they’re on the path of a witch who has recently retired to their island.”
Mel Gibson has obviously not gone without his controversy, and there are many out there who’ve called for him to never work in Hollywood again. Even so, he has many upcoming projects lined up, including the recent announcement that he’ll be leadingThe Continental, atelevision series spinoff of the John Wick movies. In recent years, theLethal Weaponstar has been seen in other movies likeThe Professor and the Madman,Fatman, andBoss Level. The actor and filmmaker also has a sequel toThe Passion of the Christin the works.
When Gibson and Corey Feldman were mourning the late Richard Donner, the idea came up that theLethal Weaponseries could also get another installment. Nothing is officially in the works, but according to Feldman in an exclusive interview with MovieWeb, Gibson teased that he could do double duty forLethal Weapon 5by directing the movie in addition to co-starring with Danny Glover.
“One of the things Mel mentioned to me, because we started talking aboutLethal Weapon 5 vs. Goonies 2and that whole debacle, and I said I knew that there was no way [Richard Donner] could have pulled offLethal 5. Because, you know, he just didn’t have it in him,” Feldman said. “You can’t look at seven monitors at once and shoot seven cameras during these action sequences and watch every detail of everything when you’re 91 years old. It’s a lot of pressure… God bless him, he was motivated and he would have shown up on set and done his very best, no question, but I knew it was a lot to ask of a 91-year-old man.”
TheGooniesstar added, “So, Mel says to me, ‘Well, you know, people have been saying maybe I should just direct it.’ And I said, ‘You should! That would be great.’ So, who knows. The point of that was, maybe this will encourage Mel to take over the helm anddirect Lethal Weapon 5.”
Production onBoys of Summerwill reportedly begin this December in Wilmington, North Carolina. A release date has not yet been officially announced. This news comes to us fromDeadline.
