Mel Gibson As the Villain in 'The Expendables 3'?

Raging antisemitism, racism, and allegations of domestic violence have done more for Mel Gibson than just provide him with one hilarious mug shot. They've also made it all but impossible for him to star in another film without the cover of a large ensemble cast. His last last three cracks as the solo headliner have been disasters in different ways. Get the Gringo and Edge of Darkness were largely ignored, while The Beaver (which is actually pretty good) is little more than a punchline now. He seems to have found a new niche for himself as the villain in Robert Rodriguez's Machete Kills, and now Sylvester Stallone may have come calling for a similar sort of role.

A couple of months ago Stallone jokingly tweeted that Gibson should direct The Expendables 5, which earned him a bunch of groans and snarky comments. He may have been hinting at something, though, as Showbiz 411 says that Gibson will be joining the grizzled old heroes of The Expendables 3, and he'll be playing the bad guy. Gibson certainly fits in with other 1980s/90s action heroes like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, and newcomers Wesley Snipes and Jackie Chan. The latest film will include Nicolas Cage, Milla Jojovich, Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, and the rest of the "Dirty Dozen".

It's sad that these are the only parts Gibson can get nowadays, but he brought it on himself. At least he's keeping busy right? Hopefully too busy to notice he's still the butt of jokes, like when Sarah Silverman said this at last night's ceremony to honor the great Mel Brooks....

Sarah Silverman: "Handsome Mel Brooks taught us that when we contrast levity with great sadness we can get not just hilarious but also important comedy with a beautiful and deep inner core. And we also learned from another Mel – Mel Gibson, who taught us: 'Never drink and hate Jews.'"

The Expendables 3 hits theaters on August 15th 2014.