Don't be surprised if Mel Gibson suddenly gets tongue-tied.

Variety reports that the "Signs" star, who won an Oscar for directing 1995's "Braveheart," is preparing to direct a film about Jesus Christ that will be made entirely in the ancient languages of Latin and Aramaic. And he doesn't plan on using subtitles.

The movie, to be called "The Passion," will deal with the final 12 hours of Jesus' life.

"People think I'm crazy, and maybe I am," Gibson, 46, said at a news conference in Rome. "But maybe I'm a genius.

"Hopefully I'll be able to transcend language barriers with visual storytelling," he added. "If I fail, I'll put subtitles on it, though I don't want to."

Gibson, who will begin shooting in November at Rome's famed Cinecitta Studios (where legendary Italian director Federico Fellini made his masterworks, such as "La Dolce Vita"). He will not appear in the film, but he does have hunky Jim Caviezel, 33, who appeared in "The Thin Red Line," to play Christ. Italian actress Monica Bellucci is reportedly negotiating to costar as Mary Magdalene.

Gibson told reporters that so far no Hollywood studio has expressed interest in distributing the film in America. "Obviously, nobody wants to touch something filmed in two dead languages," he said.