Creative Differences
A company I work with just laid off ten percent of its workforce. My consulting position survived the cut, but many amazing people lost their livelihoods. This got me thinking about moments when I did lose a gig and had to pack my notebook and keyboard into the trunk of my Mini Cooper and eat a pint of ice cream for dinner.
So, today at The Scribblers Toolbox, let’s chat about Hollywood's tumultuous world of creative differences. It's a topic as old as the La Brea Tar Pits and one I’m familiar with. Oy vey.
I left the second season of "American Gods" during the shooting of the last episode due to, you guessed it, creative differences. My fellow scribbler Jeph Loeb and I did not return to NBC’s “Heroes” after season three.
Creative differences is a phrase that masks a myriad of behind-the-scenes drama, from disagreements over story direction to clashes in artistic vision.
Such separations are not the end of the world or the end of a career. Jeph Loeb went on to mega success running Marvel television for a decade, and I’m still getting enough scribbling work to qualify for WGA health insurance. Jeph and I are in good company.
Edgar Wright was originally set to direct "Ant-Man" but left due to creative differences, leading to his replacement by Peyton Reed. Wright's departure was attributed to his resistance to script changes by the studio, contrasting with his history of writing his own movies.
"Apocalypse Now" was almost directed by George Lucas from his script. Lucas envisioned a documentary-style approach. However, after Warner Bros. ended its production deal with American Zoetrope, Francis Ford Coppola took over the directorial role, significantly altering the film's direction.
Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were removed from "Solo: A Star Wars Story" mid-shooting over creative differences and replaced by Ron Howard, who reshot much of the film.
Originally, Alex Cox was hired to direct “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," the adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's book. However, after disagreements with Thompson over the script and personal conflicts, Cox was replaced by Terry Gilliam.
"The Wizard of Oz" saw multiple directorial changes. Victor Fleming replaced Richard Thorpe, whom George Cukor briefly substituted before Fleming returned. King Vidor also contributed by directing the Kansas sequences.
Remember "WarGames"? Martin Brest began directing but was replaced by John Badham after the studio was dissatisfied with Brest's footage and his approach to the film's tone. Side note: I visited NORAD HQ under a mountain in Colorado, and Badham was in my tour group. Crazy!
On "Jurassic World," Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver penned the first draft, but Colin Trevorrow, the director, wrote a new script from scratch. Despite this, the WGA co-credited Jaffa and Silver as screenwriters, a decision that Trevorrow disagreed with but did not appeal.
Despite several writers' involvement in "Spider-Man," including James Cameron, in developing the script, David Koepp was the only one credited due to WGA decisions.
Director Michael Bay worked with Jonathan Hensleigh for nine months on the script for "The Rock," but the WGA denied Hensleigh screenwriting credit, favoring David Weisberg and Douglas F. Cook, who wrote the original spec script. J.J. Abrams and others did punch-ups during production.
Whether you're a director or a scribbler, navigating the choppy creative waters of Hollywood requires thick skin, flexibility, and grace. Sometimes, the vision that starts a project doesn't end it.
When a pal of mine was under contract to one studio, they sold a project to the competition and promptly lost their contract and offices. Their agent said, “You haven’t made it in Hollywood until you’ve been kicked off a studio lot.”
My pal became one of the most significant contributors to his filmmaking generation, and he even went on to work with the folks who’d sent him packing. If you’re ever subject to one of these splits, your collaborators will remember you based on your final interactions.
So, on your way out the door, don’t raise your middle finger.
