Mel Gibson To Direct WWII Naval Thriller 'Destroyer', Eyes 'Six Billion Dollar Man' Role

If you think Mel Gibson still has some atoning to do for the epic racist rant that nearly ended his career over a decade ago, well that's too bad. The comeback has been complete for a long time now, beginning with his last directorial effort Hacksaw Ridge earning a Best Picture and Best Director nomination. Now Gibson has decided on his next turn behind the camera, and now, it's not a sequel to The Passion of the Christ. 

Gibson will direct WWII thriller Destroyer, based on John Wukovits’s book Hell from the Heavens: The Epic Story of the USS Laffey and World War II’s Greatest Kamikaze Attack. Rosalind Ross, a TV writer who also happens to be Gibson's girlfriend (Hey, I don't give a shit but it's in the report by THR) has penned the screenplay. The story is based on the famous "Ship That Wouldn't Die", the USS Laffey which on D-Day and battle at Okinawa withstood the most aggressive kamikaze attacks in military history. 

Shooting is expected to start in the fall, but it depends on if Gibson decides to rejoin Daddy's Home 2 co-star Mark Wahlberg for The Six Billion Dollar Man.  The updated take on the 1970s TV series The Six Million Dollar Man is also planned to shoot in the fall so Gibson may have to put Destroyer off a few months. Wahlberg apparently put in a good based for Gibson to Warner Bros. and that has to count for something. Doubtful Gibson passes on this.