According to Deadline, Gibson has been cast to play a wealthy Jewish patriarch opposite Shia LaBeouf in a new black comedy from Stan & Ollie director Jon S. Baird. The film is called Rothchild, a clear nod to the super wealthy Rothschild family.
In the film, LaBeouf will play an outcast from the Rothchild family who decides he wants to get back into his father's good books. The film was written by John Patton Ford and was featured on the 2014 Blacklist of best unproduced scripts.
Producer Keith Kjarval said, "Rothchild is a satirical and thrilling ride, and I am elated to be working with a filmmaker like Jon Baird, who not only has an incredible track record of guiding award-winning performances, but is crafting this film to be an action packed cautionary tale on wealth and power."
That said, the announcement has not been met with a warm welcome. As critics of the casting are quick to point out, Gibson was famously recorded saying "Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world" during a DUI arrest in 2006. In 2010, he was recorded making racist remarks (including use of the N-word) in a voicemail to an ex.
Further, the Rothschilds have been subject to conspiracy theories for nearly two centuries, many of which are tied to anti-Semitic and racist groups. The first accusation of the Jewish family controlling world finance dates back to an 1846 French pamphlet called "Rothschild I King of the Jews," as The Times reports.
More recently, conspiracy theories about the Rothschilds being connected to the Illuminati and the New World Order have been propagated by right-leaning media personalities like Alex Jones.
Read reactions to the Rothchild announcement below.
a) Every story about Mel Gibson should mention how much he hates Jews, and I'm always shocked when it doesn't??
— Miriam Elder (@MiriamElder) May 13, 2019
b) Why is Mel Gisbon making a "satire" about the Rothchilds and why is anyone else involved?!
c) How is it only Mondayhttps://t.co/kL6t0kWu3H
Mel Gibson is going to play the "sinister" patriarch of one of the world's most famous wealthy Jewish families in a satire about a black sheep who plots murder in order to inherit a fortune. https://t.co/NiATrbwKQy
— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) May 13, 2019
An actor best known in recent years for a drunken anti-Semitic rant will be playing a Jewish historical figure who is the center for lots of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Cool. Cool cool cool. https://t.co/8DMiSLZeda
— Dr. David Shiffman (@WhySharksMatter) May 13, 2019
I guess they're just doing full anti-Semitic movie franchises now? https://t.co/HfJYfQ0xqm
— Jonathan M. Katz✍🏻 (@KatzOnEarth) May 13, 2019
mel gibson to star in new movie, "greedy kikes: i hate em!" https://t.co/PqzCwuos5G
— Talia Lavin (@chick_in_kiev) May 13, 2019
Mel Gibson, same dude who gave us "Fucking Jews... Jews are responsible for all wars in the world." Is starring as the "sinister grandfather" in "Rothchild," a "black comedy."
— Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg (@TheRaDR) May 13, 2019
It's chilling.https://t.co/t4JxEWYHBr
No, Mel, I said "Yikes!" With a Y. https://t.co/wN7SnMwO5K
— Benjamin Dreyer (@BCDreyer) May 13, 2019
Mel Gibson starring in a dark comedy called Rothchild about a rich Jewish family is a little too on the nose for me.
— Jeremy Duns (@JeremyDuns) May 13, 2019
How is this man getting work? And who on earth can possibly think this is anything other than an wholly awful decision? https://t.co/xNI309mNbH
— Daniel Summers (@WFKARS) May 13, 2019
This is a really distasteful way to start the week.
— Peter Fox (@thatpeterfox) May 13, 2019
The Rothchilds are a Jewish family that at one point owned the largest sum of wealth in the world.
And Mel Gibson is an anti-semite.
https://t.co/RJForzkYwM
Siri, who would be the best actor to portray the head of a rich Jewish family that has historically featured in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories? https://t.co/BgtHzoe0OG
— Gady Epstein (@gadyepstein) May 13, 2019
Isn't casting #MelGibson as the 'sinister' patriarch of a super-rich New York Jewish family a little too on the nose? https://t.co/RroKkhUzZA
— Patrick Goldstein (@patrickbigpix) May 13, 2019
Notorious #Antisemite Gibson is making a movie about a famous Jewish family that's an obsession of notorious antisemites?
— Joshua Cypess (@JoshuaCypess) May 13, 2019
How is this happening?!https://t.co/1dMrhGlYKy
So someone has cast Mel fucking Gibson to play the role of "Rothchild" in a dark satire about wealthy New Yorkers. An extremely normal and tactful thing to do.
— J A Earley (@AlbyEarley) May 13, 2019
Is Deadline a joke site? https://t.co/DRIzdFhIxk pic.twitter.com/wCfijmWu7z
Next up: "Captain Caravan," a wacky comedy featuring Mel Gibson as George Soros trying to smuggle Guatemalans into America. Hijinks ensue!!! https://t.co/K71ht3fAk6
— Eli Valley (@elivalley) May 13, 2019