'John Wick' Fans Are Fuming Over Mel Gibson Joining the Movie's Spinoff
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You’ve got a billion dollar action franchise starring one of America’s most beloved actors in Keanu Reeves, what do you do next with the IP?
If your answer was attach it to a prequel series at Starz featuring notorious antisemite, homophobe, and abuser Mel Gibson, come on down. https://t.co/5l7Ih58cMK
— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) October 18, 2021
The movies are lead by someone who is reported as being one of the nicest and most wholesome people ever.
— Sylvester S. Poulsen (@PoulsenS) October 18, 2021
For the series they choose Mel Gibson...
Whoooooosh!
First up, many commenters noted the stark contrast between Gibson's reputation and that of Reeves. They questioned the wisdom of not only casting directors but publicity agents for allowing this change of pace.
prevnextReceipts
"If you get raped by a pack of n******, it will be your fault,"
- Mel Gibson to his partner
— raf (@rafaelshimunov) October 18, 2021
"I'll put you in a fucking rose garden you cunt,"
"You need a fucking bat in the side of the head,"
"You're a fucking whore. Now, I own you."
- Mel Gibson to his partner in recording
— raf (@rafaelshimunov) October 18, 2021
One of Mel Gibson's extremely abusive calls to his partner. pic.twitter.com/dumLbsoqZH
— raf (@rafaelshimunov) October 19, 2021
Gibson's scandals are so numerous and spread out across so many decades that many people had trouble remembering the most egregious among them. Many users set to work posting accounts of Gibson's threats and alleged acts of violence, as well as his many racist, antisemitic and misogynistic quotes.
prevnextCancel Culture
Exactly. A domestic abuser & antisemite doesn’t deserve a redemption arc. He deserves to be a pariah for the rest of his miserable, bigoted, life.
— LBeamPdx Dont Be A Maskhole (@beaminthecity) October 18, 2021
Mel Gibson is still getting acting gigs but Colin Kaepernick can’t get a job in the NFL?
Can the right please stop whining about cancel culture? Seems they are the effective ones at cancelling people.
— Chase (@SPatrickChase) October 19, 2021
Many commenters used Gibson's casting to rebuke the concept of "cancel culture" itself. They said that if reputational damage alone could not keep Gibson from being cast in major productions, then there was no valid complaint to be made on the subject.
prevnextRedemption
You don't make spectacles of apologies when you really mean them. https://t.co/U4Xc9nSUW6
— Jorge Rivera (@Wildfang135) October 19, 2021
Meanwhile, some said that even people with Gibson's history could theoretically redeem themselves, but argued that Gibson has not done so. Again, there were articles, videos and quotes to show his various public apologies, which were widely deemed insincere.
prevnextConspiracy Theories
well if there’s one thing we know Mel Gibson does believe in it’s the existence of a shadowy cabal https://t.co/QN2wveUJ8v
— Brandy Jensen (@BrandyLJensen) October 18, 2021
In the age of political disinformation, many people felt that Gibson was more at home than ever given his history of alluding to antisemitic conspiracy theories. Some even joked that this would somehow impact the John Wick franchise, which is based entirely around the idea of a secret, murderous fraternity.
prevnextStudio
This thread made my stomach turn. The fact that Mel Gibson can get a pass on this behavior in Hollywood speaks volumes on how decision makers really feel about marginalized communities. https://t.co/Lo5ElQxmp7
— Nina Parker (@MzGossipGirl) October 19, 2021
CW: Thread for all the awful abuse, antisemitism, racism, sexism and homophibia Mel Gibson has done (publicly).
Yo @JeffreyAHirsch @LionsgateTV why is this unrepentantly awful man still getting platformed by you? https://t.co/nuhthZQa0M
— Bonionio ☠️ (@Tonionio) October 19, 2021
Commenters said that, by casting Gibson, the studios involved in The Continental were sending an unambiguous message to the marginalized communities that Gibson has attacked which said that they are not worth considering. Others did their best to petition the studios to recast Gibson before it's too late — if it's not already.
prevnextDisappointed
Ah crap, I was actually looking forward to this https://t.co/QozXb1R4RW
— Greg-Gory Pall Thrillber aka SILBER BULLETS🐺🎃 (@GregSilber) October 18, 2021
Finally, there were plenty of comments from fans who were simply disappointed in the news, and either planned not to watch The Continental or anticipated enjoying it less than before. There is no release date for the series in place yet.
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