This just in from Movieline's Dept. of Foregone Conclusions: Mel Gibson and his wife of 28 years are officially over. More than two years after their rumored separation and less than two months after Mel was snapped frolicking in the Caribbean surf with another woman, Robyn Gibson today filed divorce papers citing irreconcilable differences. All that's left is to dig out the prenup and -- oh. Wait. They didn't have one.
Thus look forward to a dynamite legal saga over the year(s) to come, in which an estate valued somewhere north of $700 million -- comprising multiple Malibu compounds, a horticulturally revered Connecticut manse, a Fijian island and a vault bulging with Passion of the Christ cash -- will be split up between the couple. Of their seven children, only one, 10-year-old Tom, is a minor facing custody negotiations.
Complicating things further, notes TMZ (which moments ago published the divorce paperwork), community property acquired after the Gibsons' separation is off the table. That precise date has yet to be determined; Mel's side is reportedly pulling out its 2007 calendar while Robyn and her bust-up legal guru Laura Wasser are preparing to argue for something much later. It wouldn't likely be any time after last month, when Mel and his Russian mystery woman (who'd also visited him last year on the set of Edge of Darkness) were photographed on holiday in Costa Rica.
In any case, we wish each party the best, and as always, look here for continued updates as the drama unfolds. When ownership of the couple's coveted vacation photo album with Britney Spears is finally, bitterly resolved, rest assured you will be the first to know.
ยท Mel Gibson's Wife Files For Divorce [TMZ]