VIN DIESEL - DIESEL FOLLOWS GIBSON'S FOREIGN AND ANCIENT EXAMPLE

VIN DIESEL is following MEL GIBSON's example and employing ancient and little-known languages for his upcoming HANNIBAL THE CONQUEROR epic.

Gibson caused a sensation with his THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST movie last year (04) when he used ancient Aramaic in his biblical drama, and now Diesel will use JESUS' tongue as well as Iberian and Carthaginian to tell the story of the Carthaginian general.

He explains, "I'm going to make it a non-English multi-lingual film that represents the many languages that Hannibal employed in his army.

"So it will be Aramaic for Rome, Iberian for Spain, there will be some Carthaginian or some Maltese and it will represent all these different languages.

"Hannibal's whole point is uniting people of no common culture, language or religion and proving that united they can defy tyranny."

Diesel admits he has had meetings with Gibson, seeking advice about how to make a movie featuring ancient languages, and persuade financiers to support his vision.

He adds, "Passion of the Christ helps the cause because it says you can do a foreign film and it will do business."