Mel Gibson Is Santa In Fatman Movie First Look Image

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Mel Gibson is a rowdy Santa in the first image from the dark comedy Fatman. Once one of the biggest movie stars in the world, Gibson in later years became more known for his outrageous political views and bizarre personal behavior than his actual film work, but that’s something the actor has recently been trying to rectify.

After not working as an actor for seven years while becoming embroiled in numerous scandals, Gibson’s first attempt at a comeback began in 2010 when he starred in the thriller Edge of Darkness. Gibson seemed to tackle his personal demons in the 2011 movie The Beaver, directed by his friend Jodie Foster, but this only led to a string of B-grade action films like Get the Gringo, Blood Father and The Expendables 3. Gibson tried getting in on some family comedy action by appearing in 2017’s Daddy’s Home 2, but his performance in the film was mostly met with dismay. Gibson did receive some good critical reviews for his performances in the hard-boiled drama Dragged Across Concrete and the period film The Professor and the Madman. Of course, Gibson also received a major boost in his behind-the-camera career when he snagged an Oscar nomination for the ultra-violent war film Hacksaw Ridge.

As Gibson continues his on-going battle against cancellation, the actor will next go the dark comedy route for the feature Fatman, which sees him playing “a rowdy, unorthodox Santa who is fighting his business decline.” With Saban Films now picking up the movie’s U.S. rights (via Deadline), a first image of Gibson as Santa Claus has been released. See that picture in the space below:
 

 

Co-starring Walton Goggins and Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Fatman sees a 12-year-old boy hiring a hitman to kill Kris Kringle after getting a lump of coal for Christmas. Directed by Esholm and Ian Nelms, the film is expected to be released later in 2020.

There have obviously been darkly comedic Christmas movies before, with Scrooged and Bad Santa arguably topping that small but interesting sub-genre. Of course, those movies benefited greatly by their respective stars, Bill Murray and Billy Bob Thornton, a pair of actors who are very good at being cranky and mean while still remaining funny and also maintaining the audience’s sympathy. It remains to be seen if Gibson can pull off a similar trick with his “rowdy” Santa, but even if he does put in a worthy performance, it’s a fair bet most of the discussion around Fatman will still be about the actor’s off-screen exploits and not his on-screen work. Indeed, Gibson’s fall was one of the more shocking in Hollywood history, and unfortunately he continues to be his own worst enemy in many ways as he scrambles to re-establish himself as a bankable actor.