Mel Gibson is bringing Malta’s Christian victory over its Islamic invaders in the Middle Ages to the big screen.

His next big project’s working title? The Siege of Malta.

Speaking with Movieweb late last year, Gibson announced a TV limited series during a visit to the Mediterranean island.

Answering questions about his presence in the country, the Australian actor/American director said he was working on the 1565 siege, because it’s an “incredible story.”

“There really is only one place to film it,” he explained, and that’s “where the siege actually took place.”

From the geography to the architecture, there is a sanctifying realism to filming on the same ground, at the same fortresses, where it all happened.

“700 Christian knights defended Malta against an Islamic onslaught from Turkey’s Suleiman the Great, who attacked with 40,000 men and ships.”

Then, against all odds, “the knights won.”

“So, it’s a pretty crazy, great story,” he added. 

While the film’s title and cast are yet to be decided, Gibson did hint at a completed script, stating he had worked with a “very talented writer on it.” 

So, as far as starring roles go, Gibson concluded, it’s “going to be good for somebody.”

Prying the infamously Catholic Gibson for more information, Movieweb asked about whether he would be taking on an active role in the film. 

To this, Gibson replied, “I’d like to, but I don’t know if I’ll have the time.”

He’s not wrong. The actor, writer and director’s time is in short supply.

Gibson’s current confirmed calendar commitments include a two-part Resurrection sequel to The Passion of the Christ, which he recently spent 7 days praying and preparing for at Mount Athos.

Then, if the influencer gossip gravy train is to be believed, there’s Lethal Weapon 5, and before that, there was the Mark Wahlberg thriller Flight Risk.

Add to the timeframe, Trump Hollywood Envoy, and the man they tried to ban’s industry schedule is jam-packed.

He’s happy just to be a producer on the 1565 Siege series, Gibson said.

While no dates, production notes, or storyboard information have been released, the historical drama appears to be a certainty.

After meeting with Malta’s Prime Minister, Robert Abela, the PM acknowledged discussions with Gibson about filming “specific projects of personal interest in the country.”

Assuming there’s no “that’s racism” protests – from the Socialist Caliphate in the UK, Pro-Palestinian Greta’s, or from the “Islamophobia is terrorism” dictatorships – for now, the Siege series seems to be set in stone.

Malta’s fierce resistance to forced conversion was the scene of world-altering events.

500 or so Maltese Christian Knights slowed down 900 years of jihad, much like Christian King, Charlemagne the Great, had stopped Islam from further invading Europe in 732.

A Christian victory in the Islamic Siege of Malta made victory at the Siege of Vienna 118 years later possible.

Writing about Malta, Egyptian-born authority on Islam, Raymond Ibrahim, said, Suleiman was told that despite the success of his jihadi pirates terrorising the Mediterranean, he would do no good, “until he smoked out this nest of vipers.”

By vipers, they meant the Knights Hospitaller, who, following their eviction from Rhodes, had “frustrated all Ottoman naval activities for 200 years.”

In an attempt to take Malta and eliminate the “headquarters of infidels, Suleiman dispatched one of the largest fleets ever assembled.”

Over 180 ships carried up to 50,000 soldiers. These were supported by the Barbary Pirates.

The Islamic invasion ultimately failed. 

Led by devout 71-year-old Jean Parisot de Valette (1494–1568), Grand Master of the Hospitallers, the Knights of Saint John, supported by 7,000 mercenaries and Maltese militia, held the line. 

This would be “Suleiman’s first biggest defeat. As many as 20,000  Ottomans were killed, with the loss of 5,000 defenders”, Ibrahim recalled.

The previously thought “unstoppable Ottoman Islamic war machine, had finally been stopped.”

As for the film’s potential, Catholic online outfit Aleteia said Gibson is captivated by the history and its significance.

This would include the defence of Christendom, and how that might resonate deeply with audiences today. 

Speculation about relevance aside, Gibson appears to be as committed as he is interested. During his visit to Malta, Maltese media confirmed Gibson was scouting shooting locations.

Any timeline for when Gibson’s limited TV series about the Siege will be released depends largely on when the cast is called, Gibson’s schedule clears up, and filming starts.