By Ryan Parsons | Image property of Touchstone Pictures.
Apocalypto Poster
Disney has had a tough time keeping its talent under control. Their little princess, Anne Hathaway, recently served up a full frontal in Havoc and now Mel Gibson, who is working on Apocalypto for the mouse house, has gotten drunk and said things that have been tagged anti-Semitic.
What is Disney to do? Sell off the asset of course.
Apocalypto Up for Sale?
Though I cannot find any official confirmation from Disney on this, it looks like the studio is trying to rid itself of Apocalypto. According to a gossip report by Roger Friendman, Apocalypto was being shopped around by Disney with the expected buyer being Lionsgate.
According to Variety, Gibson's recent DUI arrest and anti-Semitic remarks make the report sound very plausible!
Of all the major studios, Disney is the most adamant about protecting its kid-friendly brand -- an image that doesn't fit well with a filmmaker whose reputation has sunk to National Enquirer levels.
Fortunately for the film and Gibson, Lionsgate is one of the few independent studios that don't mind such a risk. With films like Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 under their belt, releasing Apocalypto would be no sweat.
The only problem is that Disney will most likely take a financial hit if they were to dump the film on to somebody else. And, considering that attention around Apocalypto has never been greater, it is now in their best (financial) interests to hold onto the film for its December 8th release.
Add to Heffee!
