The other day we reported that Warner Brothers’ summer release, “Jonah Hex,” was going in for reshoots in January. Nothing too surprising about that, other than the two weeks being scheduled and the fact that some new casting was being done for the reshoots. Then a new rumor surfaced, that director Francis Lawrence (“Constantine,” “I Am Legend”) would be directing the reshoots, and not original director Jimmy Hayward.
Although officially Warner Brothers has no comment on the question, Bloody Disgusting is reporting, and we can confirm, that Lawrence will be stepping in as a “consultant,” and will not be directing the reshoots, which will apparently still be helmed by Hayward.
Nonetheless, the presence of another director, even in a consulting role, would indicate problems.
Hayward has a background in animation and this is his first time out as a live action director. Some would argue that the track record of animators in live action would not have you jumping and down and screaming, although on the plus side, Tim Burton does come to mind. Terry Gilliam has a devoted cult following but Simon Wells eventually had to relinquish the reins to Guy Ritchie on “The Time Machine” remake and his career has never really recovered.
The fact remains that Warner Brothers is undertaking two weeks of reshoots on a major movie with new casting taking place, indicating either entirely new scenes or complete dissatisfaction with some supporting performances already filmed. And the presence of a more experienced director in a consultant’s role means the studio isn’t prepared to take the training wheels off for Hayward.
Bottom line: If the movie’s a hit, no one will care.
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