Gibson friends deny Hollywood blacklist

Rex Features

Friends of Mel Gibson have denied that he has been blacklisted by Hollywood bosses.

Reports claimed that Gibson was unable to get a distributor for his new movie Edge Of Darkness because of his well-documented drunken anti-Semitic rant in 2006.

However, Oscar winner Graham King, who produced the film, insisted that Gibson's reputation wasn't a stumbling block.

He told the New York Post: "The only reason I didn't sell the movie is I had to get a SAG (Screen Actor's Guild) waiver. If I had a distribution deal with a studio, I never would have gotten the waiver."

When asked whether Gibson was disliked in Hollywood, he added: "I don't think so. We took the movie to Cannes. I sold the movie in Israel. It surprised the hell out of me."

Jim Wiatt, the chairman of Gibson's agency, commented: "It's not true that the studios won't work with Mel.

"He's been offered movies by Fox and Warner Bros and others."