Joe Eszterhas, Mel Gibson, and "The Maccabees" screenplay

"I don't want to work with that guy."

That's the epitaph of many a promising career. You could have had $200,000 by now.

Yeah. I'M the idiot. :-)

@Lauri,

We all know that people experience stages of grief in a specific order. Perhaps there are also stages to career suicide.

Maybe Lindsay just moved beyond "Poor attempt to hide one's identity" to the "Blame the Jews" stage?

Lindsay, it's a JOKE. But still... seek help. :-)

Earth to William:

I didn't criticize Gibson, I posted one of many news articles about him, which was relevant to screenwriting.

I've been to the Coliseum. It's a tourist site. I didn't notice anyone treating it like holy ground.

And your Holocaust comment is so out of line I don't even know where to start.

What did I ever do to tick you off?

Clarification - Herod the Great had died by the time Jesus began his ministry reported in the Gospels. the Herod Jesus talks about was his son.

So what was his father Joseph? A pianist?

Nope, not a carpenter. The Greek word 'Tekton', which is translated as carpenter in the King James bible is actually closer to author/songwriter/maker of things (although in certain contexts, yes - it can mean carpenter.) And *that* is just the Greek translation of the Aramaic 'Naggar', which means scholar, or, in the Judaic tradition - Rabbi.

In short, Rabbi Yeshua Bar Josef was not a carpenter. The early Catholic church went to great extremes to erase his Jewish identity, and replacing 'Rabbi' with 'carpenter' was just one example.

@ Max - yes, that's basically the story. ;) But it was probably arteriosclerosis combined with gangrene that finally killed him.... And I believe it was only one wife (plus two sons, a brother-in-law, father-in-law, and grandfather-in-law... but who's counting?)

@ Calvin - re your casting suggesting, I was thinking more Michael Fassbender. My story takes place when Herod's in his late 20's.

To me, what's interesting about Herod is his journey from hero to villain. That's a theme that's been explored in a number of movies, such as Godfather I and II. Similarly, films like The Aviator, The Madness of King George, The Black Swan, and A Beautiful mind explored the descent into madness in a way that made the leads sympathetic. HBO's "Rome" and "Deadwood" also featured a number of historical characters who had both heroic and villainous characteristics.

Remember he also built the Great Temple in Jerusalem. Considered at the time to be one of the world's great wonders. As an example of his cunning, he knew the Romans would never approve such a fortified complex, so he sent a messanger to Rome to get Ceasure's permission knowing it would take two years to make the trip. When the messenger reached Ceasure, he was told to go back and tell Heord not to do it, and if he had already started to stop where he was, and if it was finished, oh well. Building a project that size in two years should have been impossible. But Herod managed it. He was called the Great for his building projects. Of course, a lot of the common Jewish folks got taxed out of their homes supporting those projects. And then this young Jewish carpenter started going around saying that it wouild be easier for a Camel to go through the I of a needle, than for someone like Herod to get to Heaven. Always some kind of trouble maker.

I guess nobody's read Lauri's script for "Herod."

He did that because, as an old man he used to take hot baths to sooth his syphilis. Once he passed out in the bath and his servants thought he was dead. He woke up to see his servants dancing and celebrating around him. Didn't make him feel wanted I guees.

Herod would actually make a great movie if hollywood ever gets out of its cookie cutter stage.

'I mean, trying to sell a script about a King who slaughtered Jews so his death would coincide with mourning and crying... '

With a bit of tweaking it could be a biopic on Kim Jong Il.

Think it would sell? :)

Max, hilarious! Great pitch

"HEROD THE GREAT: THE WILD AND CRAZY YEARS"

Trailer: "You think you know Herod? Well, long before he killed the last in the royal line of high priests of the Temple, or slaughtered his own wives and sons, there was a different Herod: the kind of guy you could have a beer or share a joke with, a fellow who put everyone at their ease. A stand-up warrior and master architect. A mensch right off the block.

Forget about Herod the mass-murdering putz who died convulsing of ergot poisoning. Get to know:

"HEROD THE HIP AND HAPPY WISE GUY...."

Our group told Lauri that Herod would make a great villain...

... but she wants her script to be about his younger years when he was a hero.

I mean, trying to sell a script about a King who slaughtered Jews so his death would coincide with mourning and crying... in Hollywood? Lots of luck with that.

Actually Mel Gibson would make a fantasic Herod The Great. The both shared the same kind of personality. After Herod killed off his own sons the Romans joked it was better to be Herod's pig than his son. When he died he commanded that a large group of Jews be gathered and slaughtered so that his death would have some mourning. His command was never carried out.

ha! that would be quite hilarious!

here's Esterhaus speaking about it on the Today Show TODAY: http://www.movies.com/movie-news/mel-gibson-to-join-39machete-kills39-meanwhile-watch-joe-eszterhas-attack-gibson-on-today-show/7463?wssac=164&wssaffid=news

Also, I think Mel Gibson should host the Oscar's next year.

Haven't found it. I'm not surprised it hasn't leaked.

That is one of the craziest exposures in Hollyweird I've read - with the morbid fascination of a train wreck. Is it bad that along with finding Mel's hatred terrifying (if true) I found it uproariously funny - like accidently being made privy to a couple's dirtiest laundry.

I see a potential reversal of fortunes here Lauri....a real opportunity!

You have your own Maccabbee masterpiece (I don't say that sarcastically)....and Warner brothers is now looking to fill a spot.
If you just dress your Jewish Princess in blue face and tartan, and have her kill Herod with an icepick, before converting to Christianity out of guilt, you're in!!

Meanwhile Joe E. can bring his Jewish Braveheart that has 'no feeling' and 'no sense of triumph', add in a wherewolf twist, and I'm sure he's got AS locked down for a 10,000 option.
:)

If you do find a copy...would you post the link? It actually sounds like a real passion project for JE - would be interested to read it.

Does anyone know if the Maccabees script is available online? I googled around and couldn't find it.

And if anyone wants to read the sequel (set about 100 years later), my own "Herod" is right here on AS:

logline:

Deprived of his command and driven from his home, a young provincial general must enlist Rome's help to save his country from a barbarian horde -- and win the hand of a Maccabee princess.

If M. Gibson is going to be exiled to St. Helena's, he ought to take George Lucas with him.

The Lucster trashed Frank Darabont's similar marathon effort for INDIANA JONES & KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, driving Darabont (temporarily) from Hollywood. And unlike Lucas, Gibson is at least willing to entertain someone else's creative ideas without getting so jealous that he begins snarling and clawing like a vampire being dragged into sunlight.

But I guess at the end of the day, I don't get Gibson's grievance. Being an antiSemite in Hollywood is kind of like moving to Naples when you hate tomato sauce, or East LA if you hate red peppers. Why go there in the first place, given what is given?

Seriously. The only way for Gibson to "make it work" is to make a schtick out of it -- it being antiSemitism. Since THE PRODUCERS has already been wrung dry of its last creative idea, I'd suggest Gibson produce Norman Spinrad's IRON DREAM, the genius work of deconstruction supposedly based on a novel by Adolf Hitler. It's written by a Jewish writer who's fallen on hard times, so he'd be supporting the longevity of at least one Semite. Plus, everyone would think the whole thing was an extended riff off THE PRODUCERS' big joke -- a Nazi musical.

Gibson would be happy, Hollywood would be happy. And if the Aryanian, I mean Iranian, A-bomb program would just go away, the world would be happy.

that letter is a work of art. it should be published... for the sake of art.
unfortunately for mel... i mean, the fate of his career was over for the most part, but this is the ultimate slap down at redemption and nobody else (Jewish or not) will want to even try after reading that letter.

most importantly -- people should take note that Esterhaus said it took him 2 YEARS to research and write this. so many think they can just pump out stuff so quickly, but honestly if you really do the work it takes to make a script great then you need to put in the time and effort. seriously!