Mel Gibson went nearly a decade without directing a film after his war drama Hakaw Ridge hit theaters in 2016. whose other directing credits include Braveheart and Apocalypto, has now ended his dry spell with the release of his new film Risk of Flying. It's a very minimalistic, contained thriller that takes place in a small plane and centers almost entirely on just three actors for most of its runtime. However, some familiar voices pop up along the way, especially for those who are fans of a certain classic CBS sitcom.

Gibson, it should be mentioned, is a A controversial figure who has been accused of anti-Semitismin addition to having a battery charge against his ex-wifewhich is mainly why he doesn't work as much as he once did. But he's still, indeed, working in Hollywood these days, as evidenced by this Lionsgate-published thriller. Gibson also doesn't have too much trouble with big-name talent, it seems.

"Flight Risk" revolves around a pilot (Mark Wahlberg) who is hired to transport an air marshal (Michelle Dockery) and a fugitive (Topper Grace), who also appears to be a cooperating witness, to the trial of a crime boss. However, while crossing the Alaskan desert, it is revealed that not everyone on board is who they seem. Because of this, Dockery's Air Marshal Madolin is forced to communicate with several members of the mid-air agency. Those characters never appear on screen, but the actors who play them are TV legends.

Spoilers for "flight risk" to be monitored.

Madoline is forced to take over as pilot of the flight after Wahlberg's character is revealed to be the man trying to kill the fugitive, Winston, so he can't speak at the trial. The most important person Madoline interacts with in this mess is Van Sant, her closest confidant at the agency. We hear her voice well over the headphones, but we never see her here on screen.

If that voice sounded familiar, it's because it belongs to none other than Leah Remini, the star of "Cheers" and "King of Queens". Remini is of course best known as Carrie Heffernan on The King of Queens, where she played the wife of Kevin James, Kevin Heffernan. With her credits including "Saved by Belle" and "Kevin Can Wait," several generations of TV viewers know her voice well, lending her role as a "flight risk" a familiarity factor.

The other key player through the headset is Principal Coleridge, who is revealed to be a duplicitous Prime Minister trying to sabotage Madoline's mission. If his voice also sounded familiar, that's because it belonged to character actor Paul Ben-Victor, Best known for his work on the acclaimed series The Wire. He played Wondas on that show, but his credits also include Everybody Hates Chris, In Plain Sight, Preacher, and Pam and Tommy, among many other shows. So that voice can pop into the brains of many viewers as well.

Finally, the role of Hassan, the pilot who guides Madoline through flying in the plane, was played by two different actors. At the end of the film, we see actor Monib Abhat in the flesh, revealing who he has been talking to all along. Kind of. However, it is revealed in the credits that Maaz Ali, of "American Horror Story" and "Ragnarok Record" fame, was actually the one providing Hassan's voice.

"Flight Risk" is now playing in theaters.