Mel Makes TV 'Passion' Plays

Mel Makes TV 'Passion' Plays

Mel Gibson's Icon Prods. has quietly started the process of shopping for TV licensing deals for "Passion," which is the first hugely successful film to come down the pike as a true free agent for pay TV and broadcast/basic cable licensing in more than five years, since Fox scooped up the rights to George Lucas' "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace."

Industry sources say each of the Big Four broadcast networks has been pitched the movie, along with HBO, Showtime and other major cable outlets.

Were it not for the movie's intense subject matter -- chronicling the painful last hours in the life of Jesus Christ -- broadcasters would likely be competing with big-money offers for the blockbuster, which has taken in more than $353 million domestically after less than two months in theaters.

But sources say Icon has made it clear to prospective buyers that the film must run in its entirety and that even some of the more graphic scenes of beatings cannot be edited down. That makes it a tough sell for the broadcast networks, which would undoubtedly have a hard time lining up advertisers for the controversial film even if edits were made.

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Mel Makes TV 'Passion' Plays