Mel Gibsonhasn’t directed a film since theacclaimed 2016 war picture,Hacksaw Ridge, though he’s certainly been busy acting, appearing in more than a dozen films and TV series since 2020. We have previously reported, though, that he’s returning as a director to a film that he will not star in, withMark Wahlberg, Michelle Dockery, and Topher Graceleading the charge. The film isFlight Risk, and the production was completed earlier this year. Now, Lionsgate has announced a theatrical release date of Jun 03, 2025, for the over-the-top thriller.
One of the producers onFlight Risk, Alex Lebovici of Hammerstone Studios,previously discussed the “zany” project with MovieWeb. “It was funny,” explained Lebovici, who was promotingBoy Kills Worldat the time. “So I came to Mel with a different project. And he’s like,‘No, I don’t want that project. I have one that I’m really excited about.’ It’s just so zany and wild and action packed and cool, and Mark is fantastic. And Michelle Dockery, who is also inBoy Kills World, is one of the main leads, and Topher Grace.” Lebovici added, in reference to Gibson:
It is definitely different than anything he’s ever done before. It’s very intimate, very contained. I think he got into it during the pandemic, and just kind of like fell in love with it. And for good reason. It’s just a wild and fun thrill ride, and we’re excited for the world to see that one, too.
AsVarietyreports:
“Flight Risk is scheduled to debut on the big screen alongside Paramount’s Smile 2. In Flight Risk,Wahlberg plays a balding and psychotic mob hitman who tricks a federal agent into allowing him to pilot a planecarrying an informant (Topher Grace) out of a remote area. The movie reunites Gibson and Wahlberg, who worked together in the past on Father Stu and Daddy’s Home 2.”
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Flight Risk Gives Gibson a Break Before The Resurrection of the Christ
Mel Gibson’s career as a director has seen a lot of fits and starts.He directed and starred in two films from the ’90s,The Man Without a FaceandBraveheart, the latter winning him Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture. He took a nine-year break before returning with the massive success,The Passion of the Christ, and quickly followed that up withApocalypto. He then took a decade before directingHacksaw Ridgein 2016, and hasn’t directed since then.
Flight Riskseems like a fun diversion from what Gibson has been busy developing for nearly a decade now — a sequel toThe Passion of the Christ, which is reportedly being split into two films that explore the resurrection story. He’s been discussing the project since 2016, when he told Stephen Colbert that the film was “probably about three years off, since it’s a big subject.” Obviously, that timeline didn’t work out, and there have been multiple rewrites of the film, which might become a nightmarish, Boschian look at what’s called ‘The Harrowing of Hell.’ Gibson’s film may be a literal interpretation of these lines from The Apostles' Creed:
He descended into hell;
On the third day he rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven.
Flight Riskshould be a delightful distraction from that heavy subject. See it in theaters on Jun 09, 2025. In the meantime, Mark Wahlberg’s acclaimed 2024 movieArthur the Kingis now on streaming and home media; you can watch our interview with him below.
