The trailer for a new Mel Gibson film has left the internet with one resounding question: Is this seriously a real movie?

Fatman follows a washed-up, down-and-out alcoholic named Chris Cringle (Gibson) who teams up with the US military to keep his business afloat.

Yes, you read that correctly – Chris Cringle, as in Santa Claus.

have watched this trailer 15 times and still cannot believe it's real. nothing can prepare you for the moment you realize what the movie's about https://t.co/k5i2tlBbWM

— Claire McNear (@clairemcnear) October 8, 2020

The gun-toting, booze-slinging Santa must also dodge a hitman hired by a villainous 12-year-old who is out for revenge after receiving a lump of coal for Christmas.

A deadbeat-turned-action-hero Santa Claus is exactly what we needed to ensure that 2020 goes down as the most ridiculous year in history.

The action/black comedy film, directed by brothers Eshom and Ian Nelms (Small Town Crime), will hit US theatres on November 13 and will be released digitally on November 17.

The absurd plot, combined with Gibson’s off-screen antics has not gone unnoticed by the internet, with fans and critics taking to Twitter to let us know exactly what they think.

‘Ho-Ho-Holocaust denier’

In recent years, Gibson has lost favour with fans over allegations of domestic violence against his former girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva, and his highly offensive comments.

Ranging from racist and anti-Semitic to homophobic, the 64-year-old has left few minorities untouched.

Earlier this year, actress Winona Ryder spoke candidly about a time in the 1990s where Gibson called her an “oven dodger” and made a derogatory remark about her gay friend.

“We were at a crowded party with one of my good friends and Mel Gibson was smoking a cigar, and we’re all talking and he said to my friend, who’s gay, ‘Oh wait, am I gonna get AIDS’?” Ryder told The Times.

“And then something came up about Jews, and he said, ‘You’re not an oven dodger, are you’?”

Though he has vehemently denied Ryder’s allegation, the statement wouldn’t be too left of centre for Gibson, who famously shouted that “the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world” during his 2006 DUI arrest.

Actor Seth Rogen weighed in on Fatman and called Gibson a “Ho-ho-Holocaust denier”, and said he was “only surprised by Mel Gibson’s ‘oven dodger’ comment because it acknowledges the Holocaust actually happened”.

Cancelled Claus

Despite his vitriolic comments, it seems Gibson is immune to contemporary cancel culture, as evidenced by his surprisingly resilient career.

That said, fans have wasted no time taking to Twitter to let the world know their thoughts on the new film – once they grasp exactly what it is they have just seen.

https://twitter.com/NParavai/status/1314418661273157632

Sources say Gibson has been method-acting for the role for the last 15 years.

The real plot twist will be that Mel Gibson isn't acting pic.twitter.com/c5ZthOhdmS

— Dr. Nephareus, Esq. 𓅄  (@Nephareus) October 8, 2020

Governments are considering extending the lockdown to prevent people from actually paying money to see the film.

https://twitter.com/hoofwank/status/1314341430404493321

Despite physical assault and overt anti-Semitism, the resilience of Gibson’s career appears to be a Christmas miracle few actually asked for.

Reminder that Mel Gibson is an antisemitic, anti-Black bigot who physically assaulted his girlfriend.

He blamed Jews for “all the wars in the world.”

He called Winona Ryder an “oven dodger.”

Santa Claus doesn’t exist. Gibson’s career renaissance shouldn’t either.

— Bend the Arc: Jewish Action (@jewishaction) October 8, 2020