Mel Gibson To Play Santa In Action-Comedy ‘Fatman’, And Seth Rogen Isn’t Happy About It

While I’m perfectly okay with Mel Gibson mounting a career comeback, the decision to cast him in certain things is so obviously bad it could only happen in Hollywood. For instance, Deadline reports Mel Gibson will be playing Santa Claus in a dark action-comedy titled Fatman. Fortunately, I don’t think any parents are going to be taking their kids to see this one. Still, this is going to go over as well as a fart in a crowded elevator.

At least he’s got the beard for it now.

Anyway, the film hails from writers/directors  Ian and Eshom Nelms, and centers on a kid who hires a hitman to murder an obnoxious, down-on-his-luck Santa when he receives a lump of coal in his stocking. Sounds like it could be in the same family of dark holiday films as Bad Santa and Krampus.

However, the Gibson thing is already getting some push back from none other than Seth Rogen. The actor took issue with Gibson’s casting, tweeting “Ho-ho-holocaust denier” in response to the news. Rogen, who is Jewish, is referring to Gibson’s anti-Semitic rants that got him blacklisted for a few years.  Gibson’s bigotry hurt him for a while but he’s been kinda smart about his comeback, starring in smaller films and staying behind the camera when possible. This is the kind of project that draws negative attention, though. We’ll have to see if this becomes too big of an issue for the producers to ignore.

Filming on Fatman begins early next year.

Travis Hopson
Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.