Mel Gibson lays into superhero film while promoting Hacksaw Ridge, calls Batman v Superman 'a piece of sh*t'

'Do you know what the difference between real superheroes and comic book superheroes is? Real superheroes didn’t wear spandex'

Mel Gibson at the Venice Film Festival (Getty)

After a few years of keeping a low profile, Mel Gibson is firmly back in the spotlight thanks to the upcoming release of Hacksaw Ridge, starring Andrew Garfield.

In an interview with Deadline, the 62-year-old spoke candidly about the war film’s production costs, explaining how returning to Australia meant the film could be made for just $40 million.

He went on to discuss the recent batch of summer blockbusters, particularly superhero films, which often cost in the region of $200 million without including promotional costs.

“I mean if you’re spending outrageous amounts of money, $180 million or more, I don’t know how you make it back after the tax man gets you, and after you give half to the exhibitors,” he told the interviewer, before asking. “What did they spend on Batman V Superman that they’re admitting to?”

After being told the film cost around $250 million, Gibson responded by calling it “a piece of sh*t”, adding: “I’m not interested in the stuff. Do you know what the difference between real superheroes and comic book superheroes is? Real superheroes didn’t wear spandex. So I don’t know. Spandex must cost a lot.”

In the same interview, the actor/director spoke about a sequel to Passion of the Christ: “That’s something we’re starting to talk about. Sort of a sequel, that moves on from the Resurrection, but jumps back before, after, back to the Old Testament.

“The Old Testament is a pre-figurement of everything and the New…you can correlate them in an uncanny way.”

Recently, Gibson revealed the title of the second Passion film. His film, Hacksaw Ridge, made headlines recently after receiving a 10-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival.