Memo to Warner Brothers

In 2005, you commissioned the ridiculously talented Oliver Hirschbiegel (The Experiment, Downfall) to direct a new version of Jack Finney's Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the novel was semi-adapted by David Kajganich, produced by Joel Silver, Roy Lee, Doug Davison, Susan Downey, Steve Richards, Ronald G. Smith and Bruce Berman. Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northam and Jeffrey Wright were the main actors paid to star in this project.

In September 2005, the director, writer, producers, Kidman, Craig, Northam held a press conference to talk about this movie. When asked, Hirschbiegel, Kajganich et al., explained that this would be a very character driven movie and not an action, explosive, noisy movie:
http://www.movieweb.com/movies/film/20/3520/videos/?s=interviews

The press conference ended and everyone went on their merry way. The movie filmed for three months between September and January and wrapped without any drama or event. Then the director took his first cut to the studio that asked him, a director who excels in claustrophobia and intense movies, to make this movie for them but after viewing the first cut, the studio decided that the cut was not what they expected, they wanted more action in order to have more thrills, they wanted a commercially viable movie. So, what did the great Warner Brothers do? they re-wrote parts of the movie, commissioned the Wachowski Brothers (not known for subtlety in recent times), they hired the generic Jamie McTeague (V for Vendetta) to direct the scenes they'd written. The reshoot took some 3 weeks and cost WB an extra $10m - $15m.

A few questions arise:

* Was Joel Silver lying at the press screening when he said this movie will be in the vein of Downfall?

* At what point did he think or believe that the Wachowski Brothers, Jamie McTeague could step into Hirschbiegel's shoes?

* When will studios stop messing with well-made movies simply because they don't believe or think it will make them money?

and more importantly:

* When will we see Hirschbiegel's version of The Invasion?

A director, an excellent cast and crew spent 3 months making what looks to be a great movie, only for Warners to mess it up and create a debacle that will cost them millions. At least, with this movie, the critics are well aware that it is not the script, direction or performances that are found wanting, it is the suites at WB that should be skinned alive for this mess.

Here we go

Well, this is it. I am joining the blogging brigade. I will be posting my thoughts on the daily events, news, etc. Sometimes, I will rant and other times, I will rave. Sometimes, I will ask questions and other times, I will give answers to questions.

Well, here's to this becoming a fun-filled blog!