Caffeinated Clint
Darabont on re-shoots, “Indy” scripts and more
“The Mist” is about to open around the states this weekend, and I tell ya, it looks darn fine (my buddy Josh over at Cinemablend gave the film 5 stars!). This is the kind of film Hollywood should be making more of – not those been there-done that remakes that seem to be crushin’ on. I think what’s going to work for “The Mist” is that it’s Frank Darabont captaining the ship – he’s the chap that did “The Green Mile” and “The Shawshank Redemption”; in other words, he’s the guy that makes the ‘good’ Stephen King book-cum-films.
I think one of the most interesting things that Darabont said in his interview with Aint it Cool this week is that he hates reshoots – and he’s got a point.
‘’I hate reshoots. To me that feels like cheating. Sometimes you pick something up, of course, but I know all of these people that go out and shoot their movie and then they go back and do another three weeks of shooting. It’s like “what were you doing the first time?” Having said that, I may be the guy who eats crow and has to reshoot something on the next film and hopefully not, but it’s sort of a point of pride that if there’s something that wasn’t optimal, I can usually fix it in the editing room and come up with an even better solution without having to reshoot. I hate doing that. I walked off THE MIST set knowing that I needed one additional insert shot of a gas gauge and I said “I think that’s all I need” and indeed that was all I did need. One day we shot an insert of a gas gauge. Panavision loaned us a camera, we had the old car in the parking lot there and we shot an insert of a gas gauge. I knew that’s exactly what we needed. On SHAWSHANK I needed three insert shots. I don’t mind doing insert shots in post, because you don’t want to spend production time with a big crew there if you need a shot of a poster on a wall or hands loading a gun or whatever, but to reshoot a whole part of the movie?’’
I hope the producers of “The Invasion” are reading. He’s talking about YOU.
Darabont is also the guy that wrote a draft of “Indiana Jones 4” – but the beards’ told him it wasn’t to their liking.
He told MTV today that, “I don’t live by the grudge. I don’t hold a grudge. Life is way too short for that,” he said. “Let’s chalk it up to professional disappointment. There’s not some deep unhealed wound or feud going on.”
Still, the writer/director expects the new film to include elements from his script – and will be fighting for a credit.
“I haven’t read the script, [but] at a certain point I will because I’m sure there will be an arbitration over writing credits,” he revealed. “I keep hearing from people who are near the production and they keep saying, ‘You know, they’re using more of your ideas here than you may have thought.’”
One such idea, however, was not Shia LaBeouf’s role as Indy’s son.
“That’s a whole new element that’s been brought in. Shia? I don’t remember writing that character,” Darabont said. “I did suggest to Steven that he cast John Hurt in this movie and I’m delighted that Mr. Hurt is a part of it. It’s not entirely the role I suggested him for … but I did suggest him.”
For the meantime, Darabont’s going to watching the B.O figures on “The Mist”. If you haven’t seen the trailer by now, you must, it looks great…. here it is…
