Mel Gibson Going to a Veracruz Prison

Okay, I know that headline is misleading as hell, and I apologize to all you Mel Gibson haters who got your hopes up that the actor/director/Holocaust-denier was on his way to serve time across the border.   He’s not.   Instead, Gibson has been reported as visiting the Ignacio Allende Prison in Veracruz where he will be filming a movie.   This comes to us from The Hollywood Reporter.

Details on the film have been kept completely under wraps.   This isn’t surprising considering we knew little to nothing about Gibson’s last directorial effort, APOCALYPTO, until the day of its release.   However, Veracruz Governor Fidel Herrera is claiming a “grand production” will be taking place at the prison.

Judging from the past, few films Gibson has directed, I wondered if Gibson would be directing another period piece, possibly something fact-based, so some digging has gone into play.   Unless you’re interested in completely shot-in-the-dark conjecture, you might want to stop reading now.   The facts of the story on this film have already been expressed.

Looking for famous stories that take place around prisons in Veracruz, I came across this little segment on Wikipedia:

Some of prison’s more famous prisoners include Fray Servando Teresa de Mier and Benito Juárez, both political prisoners.   But the most famous is Jesús Arriaga, better known as “Chucho el Roto.”^[3] Most people visit San Juan de Ulúa due to the legend of this bandit.^[16] Jesús Arriaga, better known as “Chucho el Roto,” was held at Fort San Juan de Ulúa where he died. It is not known if he died of natural causes, as a result of a fight with other prisoners or by other means. Chucho was a Robin Hood figure who lived during the 19th century.^[17] He stole from the rich and gave to the poor, inspiring songs and poetry such as the verses penned by Rafeal de Zayas Enriquez. Chucho was arrested in Querétaro after a jewelry store heist. He was sent to the Belen Prison in Mexico City, then to Veracruz. He was also renowned as a seducer of women, especially those who were rich and lonely. Most of his targets were jewelry shops, pawnshops and the homes of the wealthy.

Again, this is completely supposition on my part based on Gibson shooting in a prison in Veracruz and in looking at his history of dealing with period pieces.   This story of “Chucho el Roto” sounds right up Gibson’s alley, though.

As soon as we know for sure, we’ll let you know.