So Mel Gibson's next movie is in the Mayan language, but the title (Apocalypto) is the Greek word for "a new beginning."
It's about the rise and fall of civilizations, and it would seem that Gibson may be able to have the Maya empire fall before the Catholic missionaries and Spanish conquistadors arrive on the scene. But who knows? Rare is the movie that can make Alpha Males scratch their heads in Hollywood, Colorado Springs and (probably) Rome.
We do know that it's going to be bloody and the creator of The Passion of the Christ may turn the movie into some kind of parable about the modern world.
As you would expect, the Los Angeles Times had a reporter at the Veracruz, Mexico, press conference in which a bearded Gibson tried to explain his latest renegade, self-funded project. Reporter Reed Johnson made an admirable attempt to stay away from speculation on how this new film will be marketed to born-again Christians and pre-Vatican II Roman Catholics who love warfare and rituals that involve lots of knives.
But there is a hint at the end of his newsy report about the debates that may pop up in the future.
... (While) violence may be an unavoidable ingredient in a story about a civilization in conflict, so too is a quest for understanding, he indicated. Immersing himself in the Maya world, after the Judeo-Christian worldview of "The Passion," has been "kind of this anthropological journey."
"It's amazing, it's fascinating, and it makes your brain work overtime. In fact, you meet yourself coming and going. I mean, there are some questions that you simply can't answer. But that doesn't stop the search."
Stay tuned. We have not heard from Frank Rich yet.