Mel Gibson's "Beaver" delayed to May 6

Actor Mel Gibson poses during the Spanish premiere of the film ''Edge of Darkness'' in Madrid February 1, 2010.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Mel Gibson's new movie "The Beaver" is being pushed pack by six weeks to a May 6 release date, its distributor said Monday.

The drama, directed by Gibson's pal Jodie Foster, was to have opened in limited run on March 23. Summit Entertainment had originally hoped to release it last year, but it was pulled when Gibson got embroiled in a nasty domestic dispute with his former girlfriend.

Since Foster is shooting Roman Polanski's "God of Carnage" in Paris until mid-March, the new release date for "Beaver" gives her and the cast more time to promote it.

A May release also gives Summit more time to build word-of-mouth following its premiere at the South By Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas, on March 16..

"The Beaver" will kick off in a limited run, and then expand on May 20. Foster co-stars with Anton Yelchin and Oscar-nominated "Winter's Bone" star Jennifer Lawrence. Gibson plays a troubled man who communicates with people by using a handheld beaver puppet.