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Five years after his infamous anti-semitic drunk tirade, and seven years after directing 'The Passion of the Christ', Gibson will team up with 'Basic Instinct' screenwriter Joe Eszterhas to create a film about Judah Maccabee, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In Jewish history, Maccabee is the famous warrior that led a revolt against the Selucids to reclaim Jerusalem and the Temple.  His victory is remembered during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.  

Despite the criticism leveled at him, Gibson has expressed his interest in the Maccabees for many years now.  “The Maccabbees family stood up, and they made war, they stuck by their guns, and they came out winning," he said on Sean Hannity's radio show in 2004.  "It's like a Western."

According to sources close to the project, Eszterhas' screenplay will be based on research of the Jewish tale, and Gibson will decide if he will direct and/or act in the film when the script is finished.