Embattled actor, director Mel Gibson reported to be shooting movie in Wilmington

Multiple film industry publications are reporting that a movie starring the mega-famous actor and director Mel Gibson will be shot in Wilmington.

"Boys of Summer," a supernatural thriller set on Massachusetts island Martha's Vineyard, is about a boy (Mason Thames, who also stars in upcoming Wilmington-shot horror film "The Black Phone") who thinks some sort of supernatural creature might be hunting children in the area, according to a description on the Internet Movie Database.

Gibson, who has regularly come under fire for the past 15 year over statements many have deemed racist, sexist, homophobic or anti-Semitic, would presumably play an "aging detective" who helps the boy.

The Hollywood Reporter's story said production will start in December, but it's not yet listed on the Wilmington Regional Film Commission's list of projects currently shooting or in pre-production locally. The story about "Boys of Summer" shooting in Wilmington in December has also been reported by film industry site Deadline.com.

Wilmington Regional Film Commission director Johnny Griffin said he has "no further details than what is in the press."

Read More: For its 27th year, Wilmington's Cucalorus Festival gets back to its film roots

Also: Wilmington-shot 'Halloween Kills' is No. 1 at the box office; 'Hightown' shows off beaches

According to IMDB, "Boys of Summer" is being directed by the actor David Henrie, and was written by Bryan Schulz and Cornelius Uliano, who co-wrote "The Peanuts Movie" together.

Gibson is a two-time Oscar nominee for best director who won in 1996 for "Braveheart," which won Best Picture and in which he also starred. Gibson is known for starring in the "Mad Max" movies and the series of "Lethal Weapon" cop-buddy comedies, and has directed a half-dozen films including "The Passion of the Christ," "Apocalypto" and "Hacksaw Ridge," for which he was Oscar-nominated as best director.

But Gibson has also been criticized in recent years for making racist, sexist, homophobic and anti-Semitic comments. During a 2006 arrest for DWI, Gibson was recorded using anti-Semitic language, and in 2006, his ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva, who is the mother of one of Gibson's children, released a recording of Gibson in which he used a racial slur to describe Blacks and profanely criticized her for wearing "provocative" clothing.

Recent headlines have asked "Does Mel Gibson Still Have a Career?" (Variety, 2020) and listed "All the Times Mel Gibson Has Been Accused of Anti-Semitism and Racism" (Newsweek, 2020).

Far from being "canceled," though, as some have characterized Gibson and his career, he seems to have plenty of work, including directing another "Passion of the Christ" film titled "Resurrection" that IMDB lists as being in pre-production.

Contact John Staton at 910-343-2343 or John.Staton@StarNewsOnline.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Mel Gibson said to be filming Boys of Summer movie in Wilmington NC