When the studio suits meddle in the production

[Candleicious Ghost]

This was really interesting. One of my favourite movies and what might have been had the suits not stuck their noses in and the company execs not got worried about "that actress doesn't give me a boner" vibes.. Oh the 90s... Creepy suits

So the story of Freejack and what could have been. Feel free to add any more videos or stories about movies where too many people meddled

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[valkyrie013]

Not really one for clicking random Youtube videos, can you sum it up?

 

[Candleicious Ghost]

Not really one for clicking random Youtube videos, can you sum it up?

Yep..

Basically Morgan Creek was looking to make a movie and they found the script they wanted to do and the hassles of finding the right director, but he had his vision of what he wanted and who he wanted but the suits at MC or one of them preferred one actress over the other because she gave him a boner, that's the casting done.

It's a clash of ideas the director wanted to make his kind of movie based of the short stories "We can remember that for you" and "Immortality Inc" but the studio wanted something more action oriented and fast. That is about it really and a lot of reshoots and messy edits later and rather than test the movie Morgan Creek seemed to think 'stuff that' and went for release. The movie of course bombed. The video describes a lot of the behind the scenes drama between the director and studio and what both of them wanted.

 

[Charlie Xmas]

Freejack was sorta forgettable. First wife and I watched it at the theater.

 

[publiusr]

Speaking of Morgan Creek—their meddling in one instance actually resulted in what I consider a superior product:

The Exorcist III -The Gemini Killer is back as a priest who died years ago.

Officer Kinderman notices a murder case very similar to one he saw 15 years ago. As the body count rises, the past and present become eerily similar.

morgancreek.com

Brad was going to play Karas throughout the film—although I liked it better with his face indicating when he was in charge.

A good person to play Father Karas would be David Dastmalchian, who looks just like him now.

I think it was Daren Dochterman who made the shears for that film:

Daren Dochterman - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

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Best jump scare—ever.

 

[Tosk]

I always want to like Freejack. It just never quite comes together. Some of it due to scripting. Some of it due to casting. The set up is good and then it slowly gets less interesting as it goes on.

 

[Takeru]

Yep..

Basically Morgan Creek was looking to make a movie and they found the script they wanted to do and the hassles of finding the right director, but he had his vision of what he wanted and who he wanted but the suits at MC or one of them preferred one actress over the other because she gave him a boner, that's the casting done.

It's a clash of ideas the director wanted to make his kind of movie based of the short stories "We can remember that for you" and "Immortality Inc" but the studio wanted something more action oriented and fast. That is about it really and a lot of reshoots and messy edits later and rather than test the movie Morgan Creek seemed to think 'stuff that' and went for release. The movie of course bombed. The video describes a lot of the behind the scenes drama between the director and studio and what both of them wanted.

How is this meddling? The producers wanted to do a movie, found a script and then were involved in various aspects of production, that's literally their job. That they and the director disagreed doesn't mean they meddled, film is a collaborative medium and directors are not and should not be in charge of everything. And of the movie the director wanted would have been better is anyone's guess because it doesn't exist.

Even not testing the movie isn't a problem in itself, too many movies have been ruined because test audiences are notoriously useless and in most cases don't give valuable feedback but studios listen to them anyway. No movie should be tested!

And the female lead is Rene Russo, reducing her to a woman who gave a producer a boner feels kinda shitty, she is a legitimately good actress. I have no idea who the director had in mind but I will not call Rene Russo a bad choice.

 

[Candleicious Ghost]

How is this meddling? The producers wanted to do a movie, found a script and then were involved in various aspects of production, that's literally their job. That they and the director disagreed doesn't mean they meddled, film is a collaborative medium and directors are not and should not be in charge of everything. And of the movie the director wanted would have been better is anyone's guess because it doesn't exist.

Even not testing the movie isn't a problem in itself, too many movies have been ruined because test audiences are notoriously useless and in most cases don't give valuable feedback but studios listen to them anyway. No movie should be tested!

And the female lead is Rene Russo, reducing her to a woman who gave a producer a boner feels kinda shitty, she is a legitimately good actress. I have no idea who the director had in mind but I will not call Rene Russo a bad choice.

I think he wanted Linda Fiorentino as he mentioned her and a boner from what the video said

 

[theenglish]

I haven't seen that movie--if I recall correctly there were two versions made.

 

[Candleicious Ghost]

I haven't seen that movie--if I recall correctly there were two versions made.

I don't remember two versions?

 

[theenglish]

I don't remember two versions?

There was one movie made and the studio didn't like it so a second version was made.

EDIT: I'm incorrect. The following is from my AI search:

Yes, there are two versions of "The Exorcist III": the theatrical cut released in 1990 and a director's cut known as "Legion," which includes additional footage and changes made by the director, William Peter Blatty. The director's cut was released later and aims to align more closely with Blatty's original vision for the film.
Versions of The Exorcist III
Theatrical Release

• Release Date: August 17, 1990
• Director: William Peter Blatty
• Runtime: 110 minutes
• Distribution: 20th Century Fox
• Plot: Follows Lieutenant William F. Kinderman as he investigates a series of murders linked to the Gemini Killer, with supernatural elements tied to the original Exorcist film.

Director's Cut

• Release: A Director's Cut was released on October 25, 2016, by Scream Factory.
• Content: This version includes previously lost footage and aims to align more closely with Blatty's original vision. It features a different opening and some scenes that were altered or removed from the theatrical version.
• Differences: The Director's Cut is noted for its darker tone and more restrained approach, contrasting with the theatrical version's added exorcism scenes, which were imposed by the studio.

Both versions offer unique experiences, with the Director's Cut providing a more authentic representation of Blatty's intentions.

EDIT: I am so sorry. I was thinking about an entirely different Exorcist movie.

 

[Takeru]

I think he wanted Linda Fiorentino as he mentioned her and a boner from what the video said

So he wanted one attractive good actress known for playing strong women and the studio wanted another attractive good actress known for playing strong women. I really don't think there's an obvious better choice between Rene Russo and Linda Fiorentino and there's no reason to complain about this other than ego in my opinion.

 

[DarrenTR1970]

@theenglish
I think you're thinking of the fourth Exorcist movie.
The fourth movie was directed by Paul Schrader and called 'Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist.'
Studio executives didn't think the movie would perform well at the box office, so, they shelved an already completed movie, brought in Renny Harlin to reshoot the movie from scratch with the same cast and a reworked script, which was released under the title 'Exorcist: The Beginning'.

 

[theenglish]

@theenglish
I think you're thinking of the fourth Exorcist movie.
The fourth movie was directed by Paul Schrader and called 'Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist.'
Studio executives didn't think the movie would perform well at the box office, so, they shelved an already completed movie, brought in Renny Harlin to reshoot the movie from scratch with the same cast and a reworked script, which was released under the title 'Exorcist: The Beginning'.

That's exactly it. I apologize for my error. Poor memory.

 

[Greg Cox]

If nothing else, Freejack gave Tor Books an excuse to reprint Robert Sheckley's original novel in a new movie tie-in edition.

Can't remember how it sold . . . .

 

[Tosk]

So he wanted one attractive good actress known for playing strong women and the studio wanted another attractive good actress known for playing strong women. I really don't think there's an obvious better choice between Rene Russo and Linda Fiorentino and there's no reason to complain about this other than ego in my opinion.

Linda Fiorentino was hired and actually shot for a while. She was then replaced by the producer with Russo because she did not give him a hard on.

The grossness is not "two attractive women up for the same role", it's an actress being fired because the producer didn't want to fuck her.

 

[Steve Roby]

EDIT: I'm incorrect. The following is from my AI search:

I did an AI search the other day and found out that Enterprise had about the same number of episodes as The Next Generation, around 170, despite having only been on for four seasons instead of seven.

I did an AI search a few weeks ago to see if a band I went to see in Montreal had ever played here in Ottawa. The AI said yes, giving dates and venues for Ottawa shows. I double-checked. Those shows never happened.

I'm a government librarian. Not too long ago a couple of our lawyers asked me to verify that the court decision citations they'd been given were garbage. The citations were in the correct format, but the names of the parties were wrong, though clearly drawn from some valid decisions. AI slop.

This is why I don't do AI searches.

 

[Greg Cox]

A writer friend recently asked AI for the title of one of his own stories.

The AI replied by offering the title of a story by a different author, that had once appeared in the same anthology as the first author's story.

 

[publiusr]

I'm a government librarian.

A most honorable profession

 

[DarrenTR1970]

I'm watching Snowpiercer and I looked at the Wikipedia entry for the making of the movie.
Harvey Weinstein wanted to cut over twenty minutes from the movie and add an opening/closing narration and a happy ending.
A disastrous test screening of his preferred cut meant that director Boon Joon-ho got the final say; however, Weinstein got his revenge by releasing the movie in only 356 theaters.

That brings to mind Dark City, where the director was forced to add the opening narration and cut a minor subplot from the movie; which was restored when the Director's Cut was released on DVD/Blu-Ray.