While die-hard DC
fans battle critics (and Rotten Tomatoes) over their opinions on David Ayer's
Suicide Squad, a new report has emerged that could help explained why for many
the villain-centric film feels tonally disjointed with poor character development
and a faceless villain.
According to The
Hollywood Reporter, Suicide Squad director David Ayer was under a considerable
pressure from Warner Bros. to meet the film's release date, leaving the
writer/director a measly six weeks to pen the script before production started.
But that's not all.
According to the same news outlet, Warner Bros.' gamble on Ayer, who had never
directed a project of this magnitude, seemed to backfire slightly with the
studio working on a different cut of the same movie. Apparently, WB brought in
Trailer Park (the company behind SS's teaser trailer) to cut a different, more funnier
version of the film.
"[Chairman
and CEO Kevin Tsujihara] was really pissed about damage to the brand,"
says one executive close to the studio on the hands-one approach, which some
claim is due to BvS poor reviews and unexpected (as in poor) box office gross.
"A key concern for Warner executives was that Suicide Squad didn’t
deliver on the fun, edgy tone promised in the strong teaser trailer for the
film."
So the studio intervened…
"In May, Ayer’s
more somber version and a lighter, studio-favored version were tested with
audiences in Northern California."If there are multiple opinions that
aren’t in sync, you go down multiple tracks — two tracks at least," says
an insider. "That was the case here for a period of time, always trying to
get to a place where you have consensus." Those associated with the film
insist Ayer agreed to and participated in the process. Once feedback on the two
versions was analyzed, it became clear it was possible to get to "a very
common-ground place." (The studio-favored version with more characters
introduced early in the film and jazzed-up graphics won.) Getting to that place
of consensus, however, required millions of dollars worth of additional
photography."
So it seems that
Warner took a cue from 20th Century Fox and its outstanding reboot of the Fantastic
Four, and meddled on Ayer's singular vision for Suicide Squad.
As a cherry on top of
this not so delicious cake, THR adds that the price tag for Ayer's Suicide
Squad was at the very least $175 million, and that with added costs such as
marketing, the film will have to gross upwards of $750M to break even, and more
to be considered a success in the eyes of the studio.
What do you think?
Did studio interference cause Suicide Squad to flatline with critics? Are critics
just too in love with Marvel that they cannot seem to look beyond their offerings?
Or is WB/DC just sailing without a plan?
Source - THR
0 Comments:
Post a Comment