BURBANK, Calif. — Hollywood veteran Mel Gibson has announced plans to direct a film about the early Adventist church.
The title of the film, inspired by the life and adventures of Ellen White, is Tell the World: Ellen Gets Stoned.
Gibson said that he was very taken with the Adventist Church after his experience directing Hacksaw Ridge, the drama about Adventist World War II hero Desmond T. Doss.
So inspired was Gibson by the army medic who saved 75 men in the Battle of Okinawa without picking up a gun that he wanted to direct a drama focusing on the church to which Doss belonged.
Tell the World: Ellen Gets Stoned will be framed as a sequel to the recent General Conference Adventist history film Tell the World.
The Hollywood veteran said that he will reveal all the details for his new project on April 6 in Loma Linda, California at SONscreen, the NAD-sponsored film festival.
Adventist Church administrators reacted furiously to the title of Gibson’s new film, claiming it was disrespectful.
“Absolutely none of our founders, least of all Sister White, ever got stoned,” said Adventist Church spokesperson Les Humeur, before calling on a boycott of SONscreen unless Gibson is barred from attending.
Gibson responded that he promised to be as true to the historical account in his new film as he was in directing Hacksaw Ridge.
As for the title of his new production, the director said that it simply references a childhood accident that very definitely took place.
“I don’t know why they are being so sensitive,” said Gibson.
“If anyone has been disrespectful of Ellen White it’s the Adventist Church who banished her to Australia when she got too lippy.”
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