Gibson made a number of headlines for offensive remarks during the past 16 years— perhaps most famously, one made to a police officer in 2006 that “Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.”

While he has secured a number of roles since then, including critically acclaimed ones leading to an Oscar nomination for his 2016 film Hacksaw Ridge, he appeared to struggle to wipe the slate clean entirely; news in 2021 that he would direct an upcoming Lethal Weapon movie was met with lingering criticism.

So, when claims recently appeared on social media that Gibson would also be directing a film about the Rothschilds, the wealthy German Jewish family that has been the subject of innumerate antisemitic conspiracy theories, it seemed that perhaps he was bound to attract more controversy.

The Claim

A tweet, posted on January 3, included a screengrab of another message which claimed “Mel Gibson directing film about the Rothschild Family and hitting the NEW WORLD ORDER!”

Further text within the screengrab says, “Attacks on Mel Gibson for the Rothschild movie! Mel Gibson has decided to hit the global New [World] Order agenda by directing a movie about the Rothschild family. What the movie is about 🎬 Of a family of bankers.

“These bankers have indebted the entire world through organizations like the Bank of International Settlements and the World Bank, and through global organizations such as the United Nations, CFR, Bilderberg Group.

“With every single mention of the Rothschild family the media around the world has already declared war on the director and wants to stop not only the production of the film, but punish Gibson himself.”

A similar tweet, posted in Spanish on December 29, 2022, which received more than 7,500 engagements, made a similar claim, stating in translation, “Mel Gibson has bravely decided to produce a film whose plot is highly controversial, because it goes against the agenda of the globalist satanic elite. The script includes the story of the Rothschild family.”

Another tweet, in response to a post about Gibson, said in part: “Mel Gibson was about to do a movie on the rothchilds and was threatened to back off. Mel Gibson has been warning people for years about hollyweird and the government being involved.”

The Facts

Much like Gibson’s pilloried personal opinions and remarks, some of the actor’s films have been criticized for the values and attitudes they appeared to convey. In 2004, his biblical epic The Passion of The Christ provoked controversy with allegations that it reflected antisemitic tropes.

The Rothschilds, a wealthy banking family turned business dynasty, have been frequently targeted with antisemitic tropes that Jewish people control the world. Last year, former Fox Nation host Lara Logan pushed one such theory claiming the Rothschild family invented the theory of evolution.

Rumors that the Australian star was set to direct a film about the family predictably led some to assume that similar issues would arise, and Gibson was undeterred by past criticism.

However, the claim that Gibson is directing a film about the family is without merit, while the basis for the whole story is extremely tenuous.

In 2019, reports emerged that Mel Gibson and Shia LaBeouf were to star in “Rothchild,” described by Variety as “a dark comedy about New York’s super rich.”

The plot was said to center on LaBeouf’s character, Becket Rothchild, hatching a plan to retake his birthright after being cast out from his wealthy family. Set to be directed by Stan & Ollie filmmaker Jon S. Baird, Gibson was said to be attached to play Becket’s grandfather.

Gibson’s reported involvement in the project led to some uproar; an article by U.K. newspaper The Times reported that the Jewish rights group The Campaign Against Antisemitism had said in response to the news: “Mel Gibson’s vile racist comments about Jews make his casting in this role utterly abhorrent.”

Gibson’s publicist Alan Nierob told The Daily Beast back in 2019 that the film was “completely unrelated” to the Rothschilds.

“I’m told this film is about a fictional family (hence the name ‘Rothchild’) vs the Rothschild family to which you are referring,” Nierob told The Daily Beast in an email. “Completely unrelated to your premise and angle.”

In an email to Newsweek, Nierob said his client would “not be directing, nor has ever intended to direct a film or any upcoming films about the Rothschilds” adding that, while the actor was initially offered a role, “This film, if it were made, did not include Mr. Gibson.”

“There was a report that he was going to be cast in it but that never happened,” Nierob said.

“The original film ‘Rothchild’ had nothing to do with the Rothschilds family, as was assumed by some media and corrected at that time. He was never set to direct that film.

“He was originally offered a role in the film, so that reporting was accurate.

“As with a lot of film offers, negotiations or conflicts with schedules prohibit them from moving forward. This happens with many projects in our business.

“I can confirm that Mr. Gibson will not be directing, nor has ever intended to direct a film or any upcoming films about the Rothschilds, not has he ever had any involvement with a film with that theme in the past, present, nor future.”

While an IMDb page for the film still exists, it no longer appears on the movie news site among Gibson’s former or upcoming productions (although an archived webpage from 2019 shows him linked to the project).

Regardless of whether the 2019 film is indeed “completely unrelated” to the Rothschilds, as several sources have affirmed in the past, the suggestions that Gibson was directing the planned film, that it was set to confront the history of the German family directly, or that Gibson is planning to direct any other film about the Rothschilds are false.

And while he was reportedly in talks over a role in the film titled “Rothchild,” he is no longer attached to any project of that name and it is not clear if any such film is still in the works.

Newsweek has contacted Jon S. Baird for comment.

The Ruling

False.

While Mel Gibson was attached to a movie called “Rothchild” in 2019, he was not set to direct.

His representative told Newsweek that while Gibson was offered a role, the movie “if it were made, did not include Mr. Gibson” and that the actor “will not be directing, nor has ever intended to direct a film or any upcoming films about the Rothschilds.”

The people behind the original project (which appears to no longer be in production) have also emphasized that it was not related to or based on the Rothschilds, further undermining the conspiratorial “New World Order” narratives that have recently resurfaced on social media.

FACT CHECK BY Newsweek’s Fact Check team