It's Just Movies

— by JON MARTINCIC —

Mel Gibson is back on the big screen.

He is playing Walter Black in Jodie Foster’s “The Beaver.” The interesting thing about Walter Black is that he spends a good amount of time with a beaver-like puppet on his hand. Interesting?

This may not be the next time we see Gibson on film, as “Edge of Darkness” is already in post-production, but it does appear to be the most notable.

There have been interesting reports of his character treating this puppet as a living character. There isn’t too much information known about the story. It’s about a depressed man who loses his family, job and, apparently, some sanity, leading to him finding friendship in a puppet.

It may not be “Snakes on a Plane,” but the combination of recognizable actors in an unusual situation rarely goes unnoticed.

The script alone has it’s own history. “The Beaver” was written by Kyle Killen. His script was first noticed by “The Blacklist,” a resource used to get less than notable writers and their work noticed by Hollywood circles. The project has since been reported to have Jim Carrey and Steve Carell attached. Eventually the project reached Foster, who is signed on to direct and star opposite Gibson as Meredith Black. This brings the two stars back together for the first time since 1994’s “Maverick.”

“The Beaver” is expected to be released in 2011.

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