Mel Gibson’s Icon label is still developing his epic Viking period film that he will direct, Slashfilm is reporting. Randall Wallace, who previously worked with the filmmaker on ‘Braveheart,’ has turned in a second script draft for the movie.
The news of the continued work on the Viking film, which Gibson said he wanted to work partially in a bygone version of the Norse language, comes as Icon made a deal with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment for his action movie ‘Get The Gringo.’ The deal is for a direct-to-consumer release, leading the movie to exclusively premiere on May 1, 2012 on DirecTV. The deal will charge $10.99 per home viewing, with a wider Blu-ray, VOD and digital download to follow later in the year.
Icon made the domestic deal with DirecTV because it has nearly 20 million subscribes. Icon also said DirecTV will build a heavy marketing campaign around ‘Get The Gringo,’ as it tested well at the Sundance Film Festival.
Gibson is also co-writing an epic drama about Jewish warrior Judah Maccabee for Warner Bros. Maccabee teamed with his father and four brothers to lead a Jewish revolt in the second century B.C. against the Greek-Syrian armies that conquered Judea. Gibson will likely direct the movie, which Icon will produce.
Written by: Karen Benardello
