Film geeks, you now have a new Holy Grail
Feb. 23rd, 2004 02:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thehefnerFrom CHUD.com: "Now THIS will make almost as good a book as one chronicling the fucktardedness in bringing Superman back to theaters: Renny Harlin’s reshoots on Exorcist: The Beginning have just finished, and while it’s still being called a “new cut” in some circles, the truth is more likely that this version will not contain ONE FRAME of Paul Schrader’s film.
If you’ve been following this story you know that Paul Schrader, the man who wrote Taxi Driver and most recently directed Auto Focus, directed the prequel to the Exorcist, which was about young Father Merrin’s first encounter with El Diablo. When his cut was turned in, Warner Bros suits were not happy with what he had. Was it crap, as some have said? Was it too cerebral, as others have alleged? We may never know, but a fierce war of words ensued, including an astonishingly nasty letter from screenwriter Caleb Carr, pouring lots of venom on Schrader.
Finally, Renny Harlin was hired to go in and replace some things that WB suits didn’t like, supposedly to punch up the scares. Now, after 12 weeks of filming, we’re hearing he just reshot the entire picture. Apparently, at least three actors - Clara Bellar, Gabriel Mann and pop star Billy Crawford – are out of the picture since they didn’t return for reshoots. Their parts have been described as “key.”
New writers have come in and rewritten most of Carr’s script, and supposedly Schrader’s name is staying on the film, which seems borderline bizarre.
What is Schrader’s version like? This film is going to end up being a holy grail for film nerds – I guarantee that no matter how bad (or good) it is, it will take on the luster of a suppressed masterpiece. I would love to junket this film – I want to know what the actors think of the two different versions. Who knows – maybe 30 years from now a special anniversary edition of this will come out for whatever cyberimplant we will be using to watch movies and we’ll be able to finally see the Schrader cut."
Wow, I wanna see this. If ever was a time to feel quixotic, now's the time!
If you’ve been following this story you know that Paul Schrader, the man who wrote Taxi Driver and most recently directed Auto Focus, directed the prequel to the Exorcist, which was about young Father Merrin’s first encounter with El Diablo. When his cut was turned in, Warner Bros suits were not happy with what he had. Was it crap, as some have said? Was it too cerebral, as others have alleged? We may never know, but a fierce war of words ensued, including an astonishingly nasty letter from screenwriter Caleb Carr, pouring lots of venom on Schrader.
Finally, Renny Harlin was hired to go in and replace some things that WB suits didn’t like, supposedly to punch up the scares. Now, after 12 weeks of filming, we’re hearing he just reshot the entire picture. Apparently, at least three actors - Clara Bellar, Gabriel Mann and pop star Billy Crawford – are out of the picture since they didn’t return for reshoots. Their parts have been described as “key.”
New writers have come in and rewritten most of Carr’s script, and supposedly Schrader’s name is staying on the film, which seems borderline bizarre.
What is Schrader’s version like? This film is going to end up being a holy grail for film nerds – I guarantee that no matter how bad (or good) it is, it will take on the luster of a suppressed masterpiece. I would love to junket this film – I want to know what the actors think of the two different versions. Who knows – maybe 30 years from now a special anniversary edition of this will come out for whatever cyberimplant we will be using to watch movies and we’ll be able to finally see the Schrader cut."
Wow, I wanna see this. If ever was a time to feel quixotic, now's the time!
