Kevork Djansezian/Reuters

Mel Gibson, the actor and director whose comments about Jews have drawn charges of anti-Semitism, is working on a movie about the life of Judah Maccabee, the Israelite warrior whose victory over the Greek and Syrian forces is celebrated during Hanukkah, according to The Los Angeles Times and Deadline Hollywood.

The news on Friday morning that Mr. Gibson had closed a producing deal with Warner Brothers and had enlisted Joe Eszterhas to write a script immediately drew fire from Jewish leaders.

“We would have hoped Warner Brothers could have found someone better than Mel Gibson to direct or perhaps even star in a film on the life of the Jewish historical icon Judah Maccabee,” Abraham H. Foxman, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said in a statement. “As a hero of the Jewish people and a universal hero in the struggle for religious liberty, Judah Maccabee deserves better. It would be a travesty to have the story of the Maccabees told by one who has no respect and sensitivity for other people’s religious views.”

Mr. Gibson has yet to decide whether he will direct the film or play a part in it. An outspoken conservative Christian, the former action star has been a controversial figure in Hollywood since he wrote, produced and directed “The Passion of the Christ” in 2004, a gory depiction of the crucifixion that is one of the highest grossing films of all times. Some critics objected to what they saw as the negative portrayal of Jews in the film.

Then in 2006, an arrest for drunken driving became a public-relations disaster after anti-Semitic comments Mr. Gibson made while in custody were reported in the media. He later apologized for “a moment of insanity.” Last summer, his reputation was tarnished even more when tapes of Mr. Gibson berating his girlfriend in a misogynist rant were made public.

But Mr. Gibson has reportedly long been interested in the dramatic potential of the Maccabee revolt, which took place during the second century B.C. In an interview several years ago with Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, Mr. Gibson said he thought the biblical books chronicling the revolt were “ripping good reads.”

“I just read it when I was a teenager and it’s amazing,” he said. “They profaned his Temple. They killed his father. In the face of great odds for something he believed in — my God, the odds they faced. The armies they faced had elephants! How cinematic it is!”