Mel Gibson has finally selected a follow-up directing project to his hugely successful 2004 film "The Passion of the Christ." And like that biblical epic, Gibson's new movie will be scripted entirely in an obscure language. Titled "Apocalypto," the film is set some 500 years ago in Central America, and will feature a cast of unknown actors from the movie's locale. The picture's dialogue will be spoken in a dialect of the Mayan language. Other details about the film are being kept under wraps by Gibson and his production company, Icon Productions. Like "Passion," Gibson is bankrolling the entire movie with his own money. I still haven't seen "The Passion of the Christ," so I can't comment on whether it's actually a good film (or on whether its fair to members of the Jewish faith). But I am beginning to develop a great deal of respect for the way Gibson goes about making movies, even if I don't always agree with his ideology. Simply put, he makes the pictures that he wants to make, and he does what he has to do to get them made. He doesn't want studio executives interfering with his art, so he quietly puts up his own money to buy his freedom. Granted, it's a lot easier to buy artistic freedom when you're filthy rich, but I don't see Tom Hanks or Harrison Ford taking similar risks with their talent or money. And in a time when Hollywood movies are tanking at a furious pace, both critically and financially, I think we could use more filmmakers like Gibson. His movies may be loved (for valid reasons) or they may be hated (for equally valid reasons), but at least they're interesting. And while Gibson's occasional forays into religious and moral grandstanding may be somewhat off-putting, at least he's not jumping on couches or setting up religious "informational" tents on the set of his movies. [USA Today] Gibson plans another historical epic