Is Mel Gibson dead? Nope. But his career may be

The top Google search for a time on Monday (July 19)  was "Mel Gibson dead." But, as you probably guessed, it's just another web rumor. He's not dead. Not even close. But his career? And his new film, "The Beaver"? Well, that's another story. 

A domestic violence investigation into Gibson continues, part of the bitter custody battle for his daughter, Lucia, with the mother, his ex-girlfriend Oksana Gregorieva.

To spice things up, there have been five audio tapes of Gibson ranting and raving some vile, sexist, racist, misogynistic language released on RadarOnline. Mel was also dropped by his talent agency, William Morris Endeavor, and ordered to surrender all his firearms.

So it almost made sense when we read this weekend that the actor had sold his New York pad and was considering moving back to Australia. But his longtime rep tells Us Weekly that "there's no truth" to those Down Under rumors. He says Mel resumed shooting Jodie Foster's comedy "The Beaver" in New York two weeks ago.

So let's talk about "The Beaver." Go ahead, get all the snickers and jokes out of the way, please. OK, now let's start again. 

In the dark comedy, Gibson plays a man who wears a beaver puppet on his hand and thinks it's a real beaver or a real person or something. The Summit (yes, the "Twilight Saga" studio) film -- directed by Foster, who also plays Mel's character's wife -- has been touted as a hot indie project and compared to Ryan Gosling's moving "Lars and the Real Girl."

But we gotta wonder if Mel's performance will feel more like Mr. Garrison on "South Park."  And you just know someone is gonna do a YouTube video with snippets from the film (or the trailer) mixed with audio from his vile rants. That's a given after seeing the still from the film above.

What will Summit do with this film? Can they ever release it in the U.S. without outrage? Foster is much admired in Hollywood. Will she make a statement about this scandal? 

Perhaps the film will just disappear, go under the radar. We've heard rumors from inside sources that the film will not be released for at least a year, maybe two, and that so much hinges on what happens in his court case, possibly followed by rehab, therapy and major public mea culpas. Will that be enough for you? Then would you pay to watch Mel's "Beaver" in a theater? How about Netflix?

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Photo credit: Summit Entertainment