'Wolverine' Ordered for Re-Shoots?

From Collider comes the interesting news that X-Men Origins: Wolverine is undergoing a massive re-shoot in Vancouver. There are exceptions to every rule, of course, but re-shoots = bad news. Now, Fox tells Collider that the new filming schedule, something the studio doesn't deny or try to hide at all, does not constitute re-shoots at all, but rather was always part of the plan, because the producers and director Gavin Hood wanted to capture specific weather conditions. Excuse me, but, I've seen The Day After Tomorrow. You can make any damn kind of weather condition you want in post-production. But maybe they really want that authenticity, you know, for their movie about how a guy got a metal skeleton and later joined a band of mutants. I'm not going to spend much time on the rest of the Collider story, because a fair amount of it is hearsay, and since we're coming very close to needing a weekly Corrections column to amend stories that got out too soon or with too much misinformation, I'll leave most of it to them. The bare bones version is that even though Hood is in charge of the re-shoots and there were plenty of rumors that the studio brass didn't like his kind of directorial style once production began, producer and veteran action director Richard Donner has been spending time on the set. Personally, I don't see what the big deal is with that. Donner's wife is one of the producers. And if it's happening with Hood on the set, the worst I can see Donner's appearance being is as a consultant. He made the Superman movies, you know. He's been down this road. I could see some of the elements not working the way the studio wanted, though. It's a prequel and it's going to be a hell of a lot different than X-3 in tone and direction. About the only thing that will remain from the most recent X-Men movie is Hugh Jackman. But the very presence of an active production this close to the release date is a little troubling. I know we have about three months, but this one kicks off the summer. You can't really be monkeying around with the first summer movie for too long. Let's hope whatever they're shooting, they shoot quickly.

Comments

[American Wilson]

Episode 1: The Phantom Menace went back for re-shoot a few months before the release date and IT turned out okay, didn't it?

This one's going to have a huge opening no matter what, and only has a few weeks to make its money anyway. Polishing it serves several purposes:

1. Replay value: This will improve DVD sales.
2. The future of the franchise: They have to get this right to keep Hugh Jackman working, and to keep Wolvie, without question the most popular thing to come out of the X-men trilogy, relevant for additional sequels. That's where the real money is.

American Wilson has said his piece while the rest of the world goes to pieces.

Peace Out.

[Lengthy Johnson]

It's probably better to do a reshoot if a film needs it than to not do one.

Film-making is not an exact science and I take comfort in knowing that people pay to go that extra mile when making movies.

Did we think Wolverine would be a masterpiece, anyway? Of course not.

And, Wilson, The Phantom Menace was NOT okay.

[American Wilson]

Just as history will prove that George W. was a great president, so too will she render Jar Jar Binks a great cinematic treasure.

I'm writing a script in which Wolverine and Jar Jar meet...

Who will win?

You'll have to wait until Summer 2014 to find out!

American Wilson reporting from the Ocean Floor Apartment he pays way too much rent for
(Dang thing keeps leaking).

[Lengthy Johnson]

I can wait longer than that to find out.