The Overhaul Of Anchorman
For a minute, let’s assume that the rumors are true and contemplate the possible outcome here. You’ve all heard about the Internet’s favorite comedy of all-time, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, right? Well, it nearly wasn’t such a hit when principal photography ended.
After scoring super low with test audiences, DreamWorks ordered director Adam McKay to rewrite and reshoot the film. According to various reports, McKay had to change about 40% of the content, including the removal of a major plot point. He did it, and we’re now all better off because of his “second draft.”
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is only one example of situations where going back to the drawing board actually resulted in better films. The possibility of a reshoot is a reality of the movie business, and we should be grateful to the studios that identify problems in the production stage rather than release a garbage version of the film into theatres.
Rogue One’s Darth Vader Scene
Ask any Star Wars fan what was their favorite part of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and I’m sure they’ll tell you it was Darth Vader’s superb slice-and-choke action scene. As most of us know by now, this scene wasn’t in the original version of the film, only being added after a (gasp!) reshoot.
Funny enough, around this exact same time last year, the Internet went nutty about the news of the film’s additional photography and how it was doomed to be an unsalvageable mess. Reports were that Disney was getting in a new director to complete the production and almost half the film had to be remade. Woe to you, oh Earth and sea…
Well, for such a mess, it didn’t do too bad now did it? The spinoff earned an 85% score on Rotten Tomatoes and hauled in over $1 billion worldwide. Normally, when I screw up, I receive a stern email from my editor and $0 for being a dumbass.