Leonardo DiCaprio Drops Out of Mel Gibson Movie, Wisely

According to a report by Radar Online, Leonardo DiCaprio has dropped out of an upcoming Mel Gibson-directed movie because, well, duh! DUH. Let us put it this way: one does not stand next to an erupting volcano just because the volcano won the Academy Award for Best Director in 1996, if you get our drift. And Leonardo DiCaprio has not become the fabulously well-to-do star of Inception by associating oneself with anyone who acts like a super-racist version of the Hulk. At least not in public, anyway. That we know of.

The unnamed movie, set to begin filming this fall, would reportedly depict Viking civilization in a manner similar to Apocalypto, as well as put Gibson in terrifying proximity to large spiked weapons like maces and battle axex. Given Mel’s recent lunacy, we also imagine it might be difficult for DiCaprio to channel the spirit of a noble Viking when the director is screaming “I’ll put you in the f***ing rose garden!” at the craft service people before being tased by security. Every day.

Ignoring the inevitable difficulties that would arise when a film being directed by an individual currently embroiled in domestic abuse and child endangerment charges, we applaud DiCaprio for not just rolling his eyes and holing up in his trailer between takes in order to get that paycheck. The industry needs to do something so that human werewolves like Gibson learn they can’t abuse their power in such horror ways. Also, did anyone even see Apocalypto? We rest our case.

[Photo: Getty Images]