Mel Gibson is getting back behind the camera for the first time since his box office religious smash "The Passion of the Christ", says Variety magazine.

The devout Catholic will helm the action movie "Apocalyto", which he is self-financing through his own production company Icon, using the profits he generated from "Passion".

Little is known about the movie, except that Gibson will not star in it.

"Apocalypto" will be set in an ancient civilisation some 3,000 years ago. The title is a Greek term which means "an unveiling" or "new beginning", but the movie is not religiously themed.