Getting any movie made is a minor miracle. While the finished film only takes anywhere from 90-120 minutes to enjoy, years of hard work went into making that become a reality. It begins with the script, obviously, but production can be its own special nightmare, and then various decisions have to be made during post-production to put the film together just right. That’s not to mention the fact that, depending on how the film was produced or financed, you may have 5, 7, or 10 different people “in charge,” each demanding their own tweaks, adjustments, and changes. So yeah, moviemaking is hard.
But some films are particularly challenging to put together, and their “making of” stories could result in compelling movies in and of themselves. Below, we go through nine different films that were notoriously difficult to get made. From fired actors to budget overruns to PCP doses (seriously), these nine films werereallytough to create, but they all reached the finish line—for better or worse.
Alien 3was not onlyDavid Fincher’s first feature film, it’s also one of the most important films in his entire career. Fincher’s experience makingAlien 3colored how he approached his work from then onward, resulting in a confident attitude that allowed him to craft some truly groundbreaking films within the studio system while refusing to compromise his vision.
Fincher was not the first director onAlien 3.Vincent Ward, the filmmaker behindThe Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey, was the original director attached. His story took place on a wood-centric planet populated by Luddite-like monks, where Ripley’s escape pod crash lands and she becomes the only woman in the monastery. Development began, sets were starting to be assembled, but when Fox executives asked Ward to make significant changes, he balked and left the movie.
SoWalter HillandDavid Gilerwere brought on to refine the script while Fincher was tasked with replacing Ward as the director. The basic outline of Ward’s story remained, but the wood planet was turned into an ore refinery and the monks were turned into prisoners. Filming began, but two weeks in cinematographerJordan Cronenweth—Fincher’s closest ally on the production team—had to depart the project due to Parkinson’s disease, so he was replaced byAlex Thomson.
As production wore on, Fincher started butting heads with producers and studio executives more and more. Not only had he inhabited someone else’s film that had already left the station, but the script was never finished. The notoriously meticulous Fincher was trying to get his shots and craft his film while the script was simultaneously being written (and rewritten) and studio executives and producers were looking over his shoulder, trying to make the film more in line with the previous twoAlienmovies.
The battles continued into post-production, during which reshoots were ordered and arguments heatedly revolved around the ending. Fincher would oversee the editing, but when he left the room, the film’s editor would recall that producers and/or studio executives would come in and force him to undo or ignore Fincher’s instructions.
By the end of the project Fincher had little control left and all but disavowed the movie. The film was released to negative reviews and little fanfare, and years later Fincher would say, “No one hated it more than me; to this day, no one hates it more than me.”
The Bourne Identity
The Bourne Identityis proof positive that difficulties during production, and even creative differences with the director, doesn’t always equal a bad movie. The spy thriller markedGoandSwingersfilmmakerDoug Liman’s biggest film to date and wasMatt Damon’s first foray with an “action hero” role, but the two had no interest in making your standard actioner. Indeed, Liman’s almost documentary-like approach toThe Bourne Identityadds a visceral quality to the 2002 film that your standard, clean-shaven actioners lacked at that time.
But once filming commenced, Liman and Universal Pictures started butting heads. The studio was unhappy with the film’s pacing and smaller scale action set pieces, andTony Gilroyand Liman were rewriting the script constantly, causing the film’s release date to push from September 2001 to June 2002. Things were so hectic thatMatt Damonlater revealed that producerFrank Marshallended up directing some scenes himself, because it was all hands on deck. A major point of contention was the third act, specifically the sequence set at the farmhouse. Universal wanted it cut, but Liman and Damon argued it was crucial to understanding Bourne as a character, so it went through numerous rewrites and reworks to make both Liman and the studio happy.
All involved assumed the film would be a flop, but of course it wasn’t—it was a huge hit and spawned one of the best action franchises of the 21st century. Still, Liman’s relationship with the franchise and studio was broken, and he was not asked to return to direct the sequel. But his method of figuring out the film on the fly has become standard procedure for A Doug Liman Film, making some anxious but resulting in great movies likeThe Bourne Identityand recentlyEdge of Tomorrow.
Steven Spielbergis notorious for working quickly, knowing exactly what he wants, and sometimes releasing two masterpieces in the same calendar year. But the filmmaker was almost broken before his career got off the ground. At 26 years old, Spielberg lobbied for the gig to direct an adaptation ofPeter Benchley’s novelJaws. Having just worked with producersRichard D. ZanuckandDavid BrownonThe Sugarland Express, they opted to take a shot on the up-and-comer, and thus one of the most troubled productions in history began.
Spielberg actually tried to leaveJawsjust after signing his contract for fear of becoming typecast afterDuel, but Universal exercised its right to veto Spielberg’s planned move over to 20th Century Fox’sLucky Lady. Unhappy with Benchley’s own adaptation of the novel, Spielberg enlisted a slew of different writers to take a crack at the script, making the characters more likeable and adding more humor.Carl Gottleibwas originally contracted to just do some punch-ups, but eventually became the primary screenwriter.
Filming began on a budget of $4 million that quickly ballooned up to $9 million. The reason? One of the biggest issues facing the production was Spielberg’s decision to shoot the film on actual open water rather than in a tank. The filmmaker didn’t realize how difficult this would be, nor was he expecting the mechanical shark—the title character in the film—to be mostly unusable. Indeed the shark, which was nicknamed Bruce, was originally intended to show up much earlier in the film. But since the prop didn’t work, Spielberg had to create suspense and terror in other ways. One fix was the yellow barrels, which ended up being one of the film’s most memorable sequences.
Shooting at sea caused delay after delay, as cast and crew members got sick, cameras malfunctioned, and resetting shots took hours. Spielberg went so far as to estimate that out of a 12-hour workday onJaws, only an average of four hours were spent actually filming something. Originally scheduled for 55 days, principal photography droned on for 159 days in total, extremely over budget and over schedule.
Spielberg was convinced he’d never work again. That the studio was furious with him. That he had ruined the movie. Instead, he ended up creating one of the best films of all time and singlehandedly crafting the first “summer blockbuster.” All’s well that ends well.
World War Z
It’s not often that a film undergoes reshoots to make its third actsmaller, but that’s exactly what happened withWorld War Z. The zombie actioner was directed byMarc Forster(Quantum of Solace) and intended as a franchise vehicle for star/producerBrad Pitt. But troubles plagued production as the script was never fully locked down and the aspects that drew Pitt to the project in the first place—the geopolitical angle of the story—fell away in favor of more action. As shot, the film originally ended with a major action set piece in Russia, where Pitt’s character was leading an army of human subservients who fight off a zombie invasion in the Red Square. This, uh, didn’t work.
During post-production, Pitt invitedDamon Lindelofto watch a 72-minute edit of the movie. Lindelof pitched his take on a new ending, one that raised the dramatic stakes, made it more character-centric, but ditched the big action scenes that had already been shot. To their credit,Pitt, Paramount, and Forster said okay. They ditched the action-heavy ending for a quiet, horror-driven conclusion. Their big, climactic, Russia-set finale hit the cutting room floor.
Lindelof enlisted friendDrew Goddardand in the span of about 10 days, the two delivered around 60 pages of new material for the brand new ending.Christopher McQuarriewas then hired to remain on set and revise the script as needed as the new scenes were shot, and while Forster remained onboard as director, reports indicate he remained mostly quiet and let Pitt’s production company Plan B take the lead on bringing this thing home.
And it worked!World War Zis proof positive that reshoots and troubled productions don’t always equal bad movies, and indeed the new third act is the best part of the entire film. And while it’s been a few years, a sequel is in development with none other thanDavid Fincherdirecting.
Never, ever bet againstJames Cameron. During the production ofTitanic, reports swirled about the film’s cost overruns, production problems, and Cameron’s heated temper. Everyone earmarkedTitanicas a herculean disaster. One of the most expensive flops in history. Then it became the highest grossing movie ever made.
Cameron already had a reputation as a man who doesn’t suffer fools, and indeed that personality was on full display during the arduousTitanicshoot. The film was shot in Nova Scotia in a giant water tank, but shooting in the water left many cast and crew members ill.Kate Winsletchipped her elbow and was afraid she would drown, and other people came down with kidney infections and colds from working in the water.
One infamous incident occurred when an unknown (and angry) crew member put PCP into the soup that Cameron and other crew members were to eat. 50 people were sent to the hospital, includingBill Paxton. And for what some categorized as a split personality, Cameron earned the nickname “Mij”, which is Jim spelled backwards.
Filming was scheduled to last 138 days but instead took 160, with costs soaring up to $200 million. Already plagued with bad buzz, Fox balked when Cameron turned in a three-hour cut of the film, fearful that the long runtime would mean fewer showings and thus less return on what they already saw as a bad investment. Cameron refused to cut the movie, telling Fox they’d have to fire him first. Instead, to ease fears, Cameron gave up his share of the profits—a gesture Fox initially felt was hollow given that they didn’t think the movie would make any money anyway. Obviously, they were very, very wrong.
Titanicwas a smashing success, winning 11 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director. And so much for bad blood—Winslet is reteaming with Cameron onThe Avatar Sequels.
The Lone Ranger
WhileThe Lone Rangeris on this list, we could just have easily have singled out directorGore Verbinski’sPirates of the CaribbeansequelsDead Man’s ChestandAt World’s End, which he shot back-to-back in one fell swoop and which led to an exhausting, frenzied race to the finish line. But Verbinski’s live-action follow-up is even more fascinating, asThe Lone Rangernearly got the plug pulled before cameras rolled.
After venturing into the world of animation forRangoin 2011, which netted Verbinski an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, the filmmaker opted to return to the world of epic Disney blockbusters with a wholly unique spin onThe Lone Ranger. Intended to start a new franchise, Verbinski signed on to direct withJohnny Deppin the lead role as Tonto andArmie Hammerplaying a sidelined Lone Ranger, andJack Whiteproviding the original score.
But as development progressed, the budget ballooned to over $250 million, and in August 2011the entire movie was shut down. At the time, Disney had the expensiveJohn CarterandOz the Great and Powerfulin the can and Hollywood had just pulled the plug onAt the Mountains of MadnessandThe Dark Towerover similar cost overruns. So Verbinski and the team came together and worked to get the budget down to $215 million, which they did by cutting action sequences and their own upfront fees, opting instead to take money on the backend.
Then filming began and, wouldn’t you know it, the budget ballooned back up to a reported $250 million. Verbinski was once again asked to trim the script, but the film was also falling behind schedule due to weather delays. And when Alan Horn replaced Rich Ross as chariman of the Walt Disney Studios, he requested the trimming of a scene in whichWilliam Fichnter’s character eats the heart ofJames Badge Dale. Oh but it got weirder—rumors swirled that the original script for the film included werewolves, which were cut over the initial budget concerns.
By some miracleThe Lone Rangeractually made it to the finish line, but the disappointing $260 million box office didn’t even match how much Disney had already spent on the film. Reviews were pretty scathing, but in recent years folks have come around a bit and embraced Verbinski’s delightfully strange vision. Even so,The Lone Rangerremains one of the most egregious examples of a trouble production in recent years.
Apocalypse Now
You know it’s a tough shoot when your lead actor literally has a heart attack in the middle of production. Indeed, principal photography forApocalypse Nowspanned a full year, beginning on in May 1976 and ending in May 1977. A typhoon wrecked the sets, ruining a month of shooting and forcing much of the cast and crew to return to the U.S. while new locations were scouted and new sets were built. As cost overruns began, directorFrancis Ford Coppolahad to start offering up his own assets to bankroll the film, including his profits fromThe Godfather.
And then there was the cast. Coppola had to work hard to convinceMarlon Brandoto take the pivotal role of Colonel Kurtz, but Brando arrived on the set overweight, having not read the source materialHeart of Darkness, and having not learned his lines. Coppola worked around Brando’s weight by shooting him in shadow and darkness. ThenMartin Sheenhad a heart attack in the middle of filming, took a month off, and returned to resume his duties. Sheen was also battling alcoholism, and indeed in one of the film’s early scenes of Willard alone and drunk in his room, Sheen himself was actually drunk and really cut his hand during the take.
Coppola would go on to battle further issues in post-production, including plenty of problems with the film’s audio. Upon release,Apocalypse Nowreceived somewhat mixed reviews but nevertheless won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and notched eight Oscar nominations and two wins for Best Cinematography and Best Sound. Again, all’s well that ends well, but the herculean production ofApocalypse Nowhas taken on a myth of its own, and is captured in full in the harrowing behind-the-scenes documentaryHearts of Darkness..
Fantastic Four (2015)
A reboot ofFantastic Fourwas in the offing at 20th Century Fox pretty shortly after theTim Story-directed sequelRise of the Silver Surfer, largely because if Foxdidn’tmake aFantastic Fourmovie every few years, the rights would revert back to Marvel. Emboldened by the impendingX-Men: Days of Future Pastand a thirdWolverinemovie on the way (which becameLogan), the studio enlistedChronicledirectorJosh Trankto spearhead a new, darker take on the comics characters.
Development and casting seemingly went off without a hitch, beyond the ridiculous backlash to the race-swapped Johnny Storm withMichael B. Jordanplaying the comics character. But rumors started swirling about troubles behind the scenes, with producersSimon KinbergandHutch Parkerreportedly reworking the ending of the film.Reshoots commenced in January 2015, five months after principal photography wrapped, and reports surfaced that Fox was unhappy with Trank’s original cut with other sources claiming that Trank’s behavior was “erratic” on set.
This film is still fairly new so it may be some time before we knowallthe details, but Trank was removed as the director of an unspecifiedStar Warsanthology film in the wake of these reports and just beforeFantastic Four’s release, Trank posted in a since-deleted Twitter message that a year ago he had “a fantastic version” of the movie that audiences would probably never see.Toby Kebbell, who played Doctor Doom, subsequently said Trank’s version was “great” andmuch darker than the final version of the movie.
WhenFantastic Foureventually was released, the reshot scenes were made incredibly noticeable not just because of their inconsistent tone but because ofKate Mara’ssuperunconvincing wig. There were also plenty of shots from trailers and B-roll that revealedscenes that never made it to the finished cut, including a subplot involving the Fantasticar. Reviews for the film were unkind, but the cast seemed to get along quite well and Kinberg has expresseda desire to keep this rebooted franchise alive. Somehow.
Back to the Future
Recasting isn’t an altogether unique thing that happens in Hollywood, but it is rare. One of the most famous examples is surelyBack to the Future. The project itself took some time getting off the ground, asRobert ZemeckisandBob Gale’s sci-fi script was turned down by studios for four years straight, with Zemeckis and Gale continuing to hone the story the whole time. They were told the film was too tame by most studios and not family friendly enough by Disney (re: a mother falling in love with her son).Steven Spielbergeventually set the project up at his studio Amblin Entertainment, and they finally found a home with Universal Pictures.
Michael J. Foxwas the first choice to play Marty McFly, but his commitment to the TV seriesFamily Tiesmade the prospect of him doing the film impossible. Thus, the producers settled onEric Stoltzbased on the strength of his performance inMask. But after an entire month of filming with Stoltz, Zemeckis finally admitted the film was not working. Stoltz would have to be fired. Although it added more to the budget, Zemeckis and Spielberg agreed to recast the lead role and reshoot most of the movie, and by this time Fox’s schedule had opened up just enough so that he could shoot bothFamily TiesandBack to the Future.
A deal ensued that Fox’s main priority would be toFamily Ties, so if a conflict arose, the TV series would win out. Fox would shootFamily Tieson weekdays during the day,Back to the Futurefrom 6:30pm to 2:30am, and then shot exterior scenes forBack to the Futureon the weekends. It was no doubt an exhaustive experience, but one that paid off in spades.Back to the Futurewas a smashing success, spending 11 weeks in the number on box office slot and earning an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. It also, obviously, spawned a franchise, with Zemeckis shooting both sequels back to back—but this time he had his lead actor right from the start.
