Mel to the Rescue!

Is Goldie Hawn a damsel in distress--at the box office? And can superhot Mel Gibson save her?

He has just wrapped Universal’s “Bird on a Wire” with Hawn, who hasn’t had a substantial hit since 1980’s “Private Benjamin,” which grossed $70 million domestically and earned her an Oscar nomination. Meanwhile, grosses for Gibson’s “Lethal Weapon 2” have passed $102 million.

In “Wire,” Gibson plays a former ‘60s activist on the run from drug smugglers with Hawn, his former flame-turned-hotshot lawyer. (The modern script doesn’t even make reference to the fact that Hawn, 44, is a decade older than Gibson.)

A rep for the actress called the role “a complete change of pace” for the actress: “It allows Goldie to do comedy, and be part of a touching love story. And as an adventure, this film is also very physical.”

But it’s no comeback attempt, the spokeswoman stressed: “Goldie doesn’t feel like she’s been anywhere to come back from.”

For the record, Hawn’s post-”Private Benjamin” box office:

“Seems Like Old Times” (1980)--$38.2 million; “Best Friends” (1982)--$36.6; “Swing Shift” (1984)--$6.6; “Protocol” (1984)--$26.1; “Wildcats” (1986)--$26.1; “Overboard” (1988), $24.5 million.

The star’s Hawn-Sylbert Movie Co. recently landed a seven-picture development deal with Hollywood Pictures, the new arm of Walt Disney Productions--which has a recent tradition of reviving floundering careers.