Apparently nobody
Watchmen Cuts
In a piece run by the LA Times, they claim:
In the interim, DeLine's possible departure could endanger some high-profile projects at Paramount. Last week, he was in London to urge the director and producers of the studio's superhero action thriller "The Watchmen" to cut back the film's $100-million-plus budget so it could get the greenlight for production, sources said. As those negotiations continue, it is unclear now which Paramount executive will be doing the talking.
So, here we begin with cutbacks, but soon we may
require an entirely new Watchmen script that has to suit the cutbacks
laid down by Paramount [a script that already got the OK from AICN].
From reading the Alan Moore novel, The Watchmen, I cannot figure
out why they would need a budget this big. Besides a few scenes in space,
and a couple little magic tricks from one of the characters, there is not
that many special effects to Watchmen; of course, we still will
probably need that flying owl thing. Other than that, I can imagine Watchmen
using a good portion of moneys to go towards the sets, as the graphic novel
occurs all over the place.
The Paramount/Watchmen problem was pointed
out by a fan who has been keeping track of current developments on the film.
And, what started as a news report, may have escalated into a full shutdown
of Watchmen production. While I was browsing the Watchmen
discussion boards, I found a post [nothing official yet] that Watchmen
may just be shutdown due to budget problems. Here is the post:
Well sorry to be the bearer of bad news, especially on a first post, but have just been informed from some colleagues that the Watchman has been pulled. As I type this, the art department at Pinewood have been given notice, and they are all packing up.
Not much more to say at this stage, however it does look like to be a budget
issue at Paramount. Either that or they have realized that trying to put
this story into one feature won't work. Fingers crossed it gets commissioned
as a series for HBO like Band of Brothers. Though don't hold your breath.
It has been claimed that the Watchmen
adaptation was Paramount's chance to show that they have balls and can make
something a little different. And, if you have read the graphic novel The
Watchmen, you know that this tale is very different then any other comic
book story [review coming soon].
So, what would you rather have? No Watchmen movie, or a movie that
was created half-ass?
For more movie info, go to the Watchmen
Movie Page |
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