Mel Gibson Explains Dispute with Screenwriter Joe Eszterhas Over Maccabees Script

Posted on April 28, 2012

Mel Gibson was a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Jay asked Mel to explain the brouhaha with screenwriter Joe Eszterhas which led to Eszterhas released a profanity filled tape of Mel Gibson screaming at him during a dinner party. Mel joked that "you may not know this, but I have a bit of a temper."

He then said that it was illegal for Eszterhas to tape him in his own home (this happened in Costa Rica, so U.S. laws don't apply). He said that he asked Eszterhas to write the script for The Maccabees, the story of the ancient Jewish warrior Judah Maccabee, and fifteen months later Eszterhas still hadn't turned in a script. He talked about it a lot, but there was no script. So Mel said he yelled at him about it.

Mel noted that Randall Wallace came in nine months after Eszterhas was hired (they are making a Viking movie together) and has already turned in four drafts. Mel said Eszterhas finally turned in a script that was so bad that Warner Bros. rejected it. Mel said he apologized, but Eszterhas then made that apology public and said it wasn't good enough. He says Eszterhas was paid in advance for his work.

The Maccabee movie ended up being shelved by Warner Bros. as The Wrap reports. There is plenty in the history of the Maccabees for a great screenplay. You can read more about the rebel Jewish warriors on Wikipedia.