December 6, 2010 
The future of the seemingly-doomed Mel Gibson vehicle The Beaver has been in question for some time now, but a newly released trailer suggests it might be heading to cinemas sooner rather than later.
Gibson stars as the CEO of a toy company, who – to better communicate with his wife (Jodie Foster) and sons – begins to speak through a Beaver hand puppet.
Here’s what we last said of the film:
The Beaver was – and to some degree, still is – one of the most highly anticipated films of 2010. Back in 2008, Kyle Killen’s screenplay was named the best unproduced script in Hollywood. Jodie Foster signed up to direct, and Mel Gibson – making his triumphant return to the spotlight following revelations of his alcoholism -was set to star.
And then: “You should ******* smile and **** me.”
Gibson may no longer be classy or reputable enough to star in, ahem, The Hangover Part II, but I personally remain excited for The Beaver. There are a lot of talented people involved in this project (including Anton Yelchin and Jennifer Lawrence), and it’s a shame that a film that was once courting Oscar buzz could be relegated to a minor release simply because of its star’s – admittedly terrifying – personal life.
Having now seen the surprisingly touching trailer for The Beaver, my anticipation is only heightened. It’s warm, funny, and Gibson’s performance does indeed look interesting. As for the voiceover narration, well, let’s just hope that’s been specifically made for the trailer.
Check it out below!
Summit Entertainment is likely testing the waters with this trailer, but if all goes according to plan, The Beaver will hit American cinemas early-2011.
Discuss: Is the trailer enticing enough to help you look past Gibson’s personal troubles?
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>Oh Simon, Simon, Simon. One can only assume that if you found the trailer for The Beaver "surprisingly touching" in addition to "warm" and "funny" we need to get you some help before you adopt a beaver puppet of your own. I think the trailer tries too hard to sell this as a feel good film. Jodie Foster's overacting is only made more ridiculous by the dumb expression Gibson has on his face for most of the trailer. The film seems mainstream but the trailer says Indie, what with the voice over and choice of music. Regardless of Gibson's latest antics it's been around a decade since his last romantic comedy and I'm just not buying him as a family man married to Jodie Foster. I hope this goes straight to DVD in Oz.
>Yes, it is funny, but for all the wrong reasons.