Archive for February 20, 2011

Long-Gestating Movies

If you have been reading about movies that were shelved last year, do not worry. Chances are they will be back at some point or the other. Take for example, Edwin A. Salt. In 2008, Sony was in a quandary as they tried hard and did not reach a deal with Tom Cruise. Originally slated as a Cruise/ Jolie headliner, two directors later, they eventually changed the name to Salt and opted to run only with Angelina in the lead; the movie opens this year in July.

However, if you think that it took a long time to materialize, consider some the other more famous delays. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button took over two decades to hit the big screen. In that time, the plot was changed many times over, as much as (if not more than) the number of directors who were associated with it. Spike Jonze, Gary Ross, Ron Howard and Phil Alden Robinson were all flirted with until David Fincher was settled on. Even then, the project did not begin as scheduled in 2005.

Memoirs of a Geisha was also a project in the making for a long time as was A.I. Artificial Intelligence, both of which were directed by Steven Spielberg. The director is now associated with another long-awaited movie based on the life of Abraham Lincoln.

Even though all these movies took some time to come out, it just goes to show that some movies need to find just the right people and take all the time they need to come out right.