Mel Gibson is heading back into the limelight with his first starring role since 2002. The actor has joined Edge of Darkness, the story of a police investigator who finds a web of corruption when he starts looking into the death of his own activist daughter. It is Gibson’s first leading role since the one-two punch of Signs and We Were Soldiers six years ago, reports Variety.

The movie is based on the six-hour BBC miniseries of the same name, which was written by Troy Kennedy-Martin and directed by Martin Campbell. Campbell was the directing force behind the original miniseries as well, so this is definitely a story he’s familiar with. William Monahan will adapt the miniseries into a feature length film.

While I’ve been a fan of Gibson’s directing, it’s been far too long since Mel stepped back in front of the lens and reminded audiences why they loved him in the first place. It’ll be exciting to see him headline another picture, particularly if he can somehow shake the scandals of the recent years and make this about the story. Considering Gibson was already a fan of the miniseries, that shouldn’t be too hard. I just hope this role as a grieving father gives him a chance to grow back that wicked Castro beard. We can never get enough of that side of Mel on film.