Mel Gibson to speak ancient tongue at Oscars

Actor to address audience in Maya to preview new movie, ‘Apocalypto’

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updated 7:57 p.m. ET March 4, 2006

NEW YORK - Mel Gibson will give audiences a preview of the ancient language spoken in his upcoming movie, "Apocalypto."

During a brief appearance on the Academy Awards on Sunday, Gibson will speak Maya, the only language in the film. His last movie, "The Passion of the Christ," was performed in Latin and Aramaic.

"I wanted to shake up the stale action-adventure genre," Gibson told Time for a story on the magazine's Web site. "So I think we almost had to come up with something utterly different like this."

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"Apocalypto" is set in pre-Columbian Mexico and is being shot on the fringe of southern Mexico's rain forests. It addresses the end of civilizations and contains warnings about environmental degradation and political fear-mongering.