• Ad Age, Thursday, October 26, 2006 12:01 PM

At a time when many in Hollywood have been publicly distancing themselves from Mel Gibson, Disney's film marketers are embracing the controversial filmmaker as a way to hype the upcoming release of his latest project, "Apocalypto."

Despite Gibson's anti-Semitic rant during a drunken-driving arrest this summer, Disney executives are closely associating the movie promotion with the Academy Award-winning actor/writer/director. Gibson has done some of the requisite mea culpas, most recently in an interview with Diane Sawyer on Disney-owned ABC.

"It's critical that he be the voice and face of this film," says Jim Gallagher, president of Buena Vista Pictures Marketing, which is distributing the picture. "When you look at what's the best approach to market this film during a very crowded and competitive time of year, he's a vital part of that equation."

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