FOX "Almost Fired" Wolverine Director

From: ComicBookMovie.com

Earlier reports of friction between director Gavin Hood and the studio have now been backed up. Shocking news has come in that the X-Men Origins: Wolverine helmer nearly got the axe from FOX until Super-director Richard Donner smoothed things over.

This from Variety...

"Wolverine helmer Gavin Hood (pictured above) was nearly fired, according to sources, because of squabbles with the studio, and two backup directors were in place before Richard Donner - who is married to the film's producer Lauren Shuler Donner - flew to the Australian set to smooth things over."

"At the time, FOX insisted that Richard Donner was on-set because he is a producer on the film. However, current credits for the film list various producers, but Donner is not one of them."

Apparently the arguments between director Gavin Hood and the studio are all about the tone of the film's content. FOX, not surprisingly, wants something lighter and more kiddie-friendly in order to reach as wide an audience as possible. Hood on the other hand wants to go darker and more intense.

Fox stated that, "in no way is Gavin Hood being replaced or usurped by anyone, this is very much his movie."

But that now appears to have been typical damage control deception as this new report reveals that not one but two directors were waiting in the wings, and Hood might well have ended up being dismissed and replaced. This latest news has made comic book movie fans increasingly nervous about the quality of the finished Wolverine film.

FOX has had a rocky year, with a poor summer for the studio, and genre fans furious over the studio's legal action against Paramount's Watchmen movie--an obvious money grab. FOX has also faced criticism by Babylon A.D. director Mathieu Kassovitz, who was unhappy with the studio's treatment of his film, and director Alex Proyas, who said he'd never again work with Fox after his experiences when making I, Robot.

Variety also points out the trouble: "The strategy of being cheap and eschewing top-tier filmmakers came back to bite the studio: Although Fox has been the envy of many for its remarkable box office consistency and profit margins, many producers, agents and managers have been less than charmed.

"Complaints about the studio's tendency to lowball talent - particularly writers - and Rothman's micro-managing of productions have become widespread. A broad spectrum of reps say they are reluctant to place clients on Fox projects, citing a talent-unfriendly atmosphere.

"Though Fox has no plans for a major overhaul, the studio has scheduled a strategy meeting to assess the status of its superheroes, a group sorely missed this summer. On the agenda, Fox will mull the possibility of more X-Men spinoffs, including a young-X-Men project as well as Deadpool, based on a character played by Ryan Reynolds in Wolverine. The studio is even considering reviving the Daredevil property."

Is Fox Destroying our Favorite Movies?

From: WorstPreviews.com

In just the last couple of days, I have heard numerous directors and lots of fans complain about 20th Century Fox and the way they deal with some of their upcoming movies.

First, there was "Watchmen." The studio announced that Warner Bros did not have the rights to make the movie and as a result they will do everything in their power to sue, win and then simply throw the movie away.

Then, there was "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." Director Gavin Hood had a big set built for a scene which he requested to look "dark, dinghy and somber." After being away from his newly designed set for a few days, he returns to find it completely repainted on orders from Fox co-chairman and CEO Tom Rothman. The now different set became brighter and less depressing. The source says that he was utterly surprised to see what has happened. But it is nothing new from Rothman.

Then there was "Babylon AD." Director Mathieu Kassovits revealed that 20th Century Fox kept sending their lawyers who made everything difficult. "I never had a chance to do one scene the way it was written or the way I wanted it to be. The script wasn't respected. Bad producers, bad partners, it was a terrible experience."

In the end, "Babylon AD," which is based on a French novel "Babylon Babies" by Maurice Georges Dantec, fails to deliver the book's messages. "It's pure violence and stupidity," he admits. "The movie is supposed to teach us that the education of our children will mean the future of our planet. All the action scenes had a goal, instead parts of the movie are like a bad episode of 24. I should have chosen a studio that has guts. I'm ready to go to war against them, but I can't because they don't give a sh*t."

And now, there is "The Silver Surfer." It was previously rumored that director Alex Proyas (I, Robot) would go on to helm a "Silver Surfer" spin-off. Proyas recently revealed that he would never consider making that film. But why? "Because it's a Fox picture," he said. "And I'm determined never to work with them ever again because of my experience on 'I,Robot.'

"What can be done about a studio like this that's holding rights to some potentially great movies? I don't know for sure, but I can tell you that they got very worried when fans began spreading the message to avoid seeing "Australia," "Wolverine" and other large Fox movies. To appease the fans, Fox has considered letting "Watchmen" go on as planned.