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Making a movie is a messy process. Film is, by nature, a collaborative medium and in the case of some studio movies, requires the cooperation of hundreds of people at a time over the course of years. Some movies are so notoriously hectic behind-the-scenes, it ends up overshadowing the movie itself. It could be something related to a specific performer or creator who has a long history of problems in the public eye, like with The Flash. Occasionally, movies just become hot topics that people become obsessed with because of how weird a situation is, which is what’s currently happening with Don’t Worry Darling, Olivia Wilde‘s troubled new film. But either way, they all make for interesting stories. So, get out your finest glassware because we are about to spill some tea.
Don’t Worry Darling
Olivia Wilde’s sophomore directorial feature can’t seem to catch a break. On paper, it seems like a slam dunk, with trailers making it look like a successor to The Stepford Wives starring some of the most popular talent working today. But, at seemingly every step of the production things got shaky. Originally, Shia LeBeouf was attached to the role that went to Harry Styles, but left the project in 2020. In a recent Variety interview, Wilde proposed a narrative that he was fired, but LeBeouf (who was accused of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse by ex-girlfriend FKA Twigs last year) then provided evidence he actually quit due to a lack of rehearsal time. A private video that Olivia Wilde sent to him was then leaked, showing her trying to make arrangements work and insinuating that there was a clash of views between LeBeouf and Pugh.
It gets even stranger when lead actress Florence Pugh has been doing the bare minimum of press, which isn’t a good look from a marketing perspective. There are a lot of suggestions going on as to why this is all going down, including clashes between her and Wilde on set that led to Pugh shadow directing a lot of the movie, and tension stemming from Wilde’s real-world fling with Styles. What has been confirmed is that Pugh has had issues with how Wilde was promoting the film with an emphasis on the sex scenes between Pugh and Styles, of which Pugh said “When it’s reduced to your sex scenes, or to watch the most famous man in the world go down on someone, it’s not why we do it. It’s not why I’m in this industry.”
While these creative differences are valid, the reality is Olivia Wilde is just a person like anyone else, going through a very public custody battle with Jason Sudeikis. She got served custody papers on stage when promoting this very film at CinemaCon, which has apparently baffled every party involved. The entire production and promotion of this film seem like a mess in a fascinating way, at least from the outside looking in. But, it’s important to be able to enjoy talking about drama while also not speculating about people’s private lives and vilifying them because of that. Oh, and then there’s the internet thinking that Harry Style spat on Chris Pine at the movie’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival. The drama with this movie just seems to never stop.
The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz movie scared a lot of us as children. Even decades after the film was released, the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) can still absolutely terrify. But the real people who were terrorized by the film were the people who worked on it. Being that the movie released all the way back in 1939, it was being made at a time with much fewer labor laws and knowledge about how to keep people safe on sets. Working on this movie sounded like a living nightmare. A fire effect gone wrong burned both Hamilton and her stand-in. The original actor of The Tin Man, Buddy Ebsen, was hospitalized due to the silver makeup containing aluminum, which led to him having to be put back in an oxygen tent for two weeks.
The snow used in the film was made from asbestos, which causes cancer, and was just thrown directly in the faces of the performers. A lot of this could potentially be shrugged off as “well, it was the 30s, they probably didn’t know these things would’ve been issues until it was too late”. But, it can’t be shrugged off that while dealing with these horrible conditions, the people in charge basically dismissed everyone who complained. Ebsen’s reward for being hospitalized was to be immediately replaced by Jack Haley with no remorse. Not to mention how Judy Garland was mistreated on the film. Garland was only 16 when making the film, and was supplied with barbiturates and amphetamines in forms that would now be considered some pretty hard drugs, all in the name of her staying “thin”. This rampant abuse trapped her, and she suffered from a drug addiction until the day she died, at the age of 47 due to an overdose. This movie may be a masterpiece, but the way it was made is insanely unethical and this is only the tip of the iceberg.
Morbius
The Morbius Sweep never ends! Much like Sony’s Venom movies, Morbius is yet another of their attempts to make a Spider-Man Cinematic Universe… without any actual appearance of the webhead. All three films were made like they were superhero movies that came out in 2005. But unlike the two Venom movies, Morbius wasn’t carried by a very charismatic lead actor like Tom Hardy, who is super committed to the character. Instead, it’s led by Jared Leto, a man who keeps getting work despite the fact that no one really seems to like working with him. When Morbius isn’t bad, it’s just bland. That blandness inspired a widespread meme with the catchphrase “It’s Morbin’ time!”.
This inspired various internet users to mock the movie with this tagline. So much so that Jared Leto wanted to get involved. Morbius was released a second time in theaters earlier this summer, where it bombed again, showing that internet hype and jokes do not always result in box office success. This has made Morbius the only Marvel movie to ever bomb in the theaters twice, leaving Sony looking pretty embarrassed. Perhaps the joy fans get at this movie’s expense stems from its entire marketing campaign trying to make this movie out to be the latest MCU entry, which was just confusing false advertising.
Titanic
Behind the scenes, James Cameron is known for being a bit of a stickler. He knows what he wants, and for better or worse, he’s very demanding and passionate about it. Nowhere was that more evident than when he made Titanic. The film wasn’t just the highest-grossing movie of all-time, up until Cameron out-did himself on that front with Avatar which is getting a rerelease at the end of the month, but it was also one of the most expensive and largest-scale movies ever made. Cameron did almost everything practically, which provided an unforgettable spectacle, but a lot of chances for things to go wrong. And wrong they did! The set was hit with PCP poisoning when traces of it were found in chowder that was served to the cast and crew. According to CBS News, some actors fell from parts of the ship during the sinking scene, resulting in broken bones and ruptured organs. Kate Winslet even got hypothermia while filming because the water tanks were so big that they couldn’t be heated. The movie was over budget and over schedule, a production nightmare. You can read more about these tales here, but with how intense this was it’s no surprise Cameron basically only makes one movie a decade now.
The Hobbit Trilogy
Perhaps Peter Jackson‘s The Hobbit Trilogy will always be remembered in the same breath as the Star Wars prequels. But the critical and fan reception of this trilogy was never the biggest controversy. The Hobbit trilogy was responsible for actively changing laws in New Zealand, the country that nearly anything Lord of the Rings related has been filmed in since the start of the franchise. Back when the movies were still being planned in pre-production, Warner Bros threatened to move production somewhere else. WB just didn’t want to pay or abide by the conditions set by film unions in the country. Unfortunately, WB used the fact that the entire Middle-Earth franchise brings so much money into the country that they were able to strong-arm legislation, and lobby for “The Hobbit Law” to be passed. The passing of this law led to unfair wages and working conditions for their national film industry, and the consequences are still being felt all these years later.
Superman II
WB has been mismanaging DC movies for decades, as early as their first major film, Superman: The Movie. To put it in the shortest terms possible, WB fired original director Richard Donner late in production of the sequel. Even what he did shoot for the film was reshot with new director Richard Lester, so he could receive full credit. It is eerily similar to later DC controversies like Batgirl and Justice League, which makes it feel almost laughable that WB still hasn’t learned its lesson.
Pretty Much Every Fast and Furious Movie
The Fast and the Furious is not a franchise well known for cool-heads behind the camera. At this point, it seems like almost every actor or director on the set has had major beef with someone. And most of the time, that someone seems to be the Iron Giant himself, Vin Diesel. Most famously, his feud with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson led to Johnson exiting the main franchise to just be in his own spin-off with Jason Statham, and it sounds like that’s how they want to keep it. The franchise may be all about family, but it’s also all about egos. In a series with so many interpersonal issues, it’s no wonder Justin Lin left the director’s chair of the latest entry after filming already started.
The Shining
The Shining is still regarded as one of the best horror films to ever be made. But much like The Wizard of Oz, greatness does not excuse mistreatment, abuse, and negligence. Director Stanley Kubrick had a reputation, he was very controlling on set and would require an insane amount of takes for nearly every scene until he found something he liked. The person who got the worst end of his Kubrick’s unchecked ego was without a doubt Shelley Duvall, who played Wendy in the movie. In order to get what he felt was the necessary performance, Kubrick basically tortured her. She was isolated both literally and socially, with Kubrick encouraging the cast and crew to not sympathize with her, so he could get what he felt would be the most realistic performance. She was put in danger a number of times, with the extensive amounts of takes physically harming her because she needed to be in so many intense situations. The experience must have been traumatizing. What makes it insulting is that even after all that, a lot of Duvall’s lines and scenes were cut completely.
The Flash
What can be said about The Flash that hasn’t already been said? The film shuffled through entire teams of writers, and at least four directors, since it was announced all the way back in 2014. It has been delayed several times thanks to the DC Cinematic Universe changing direction approximately 8000 times in the past 5 years alone, and that’s before considering how the film was affected by the pandemic. Outside the delays and creative changes, lead actor Ezra Miller appears to be an actual living embodiment of controversies, causing a crisis of infinite problems for WB and everyone else involved. Just in the past two years, they have been involved, accused, or arrested on charges of kidnapping, grooming, child endagerment, burglarly, assault, and the vast majority of which is supported with video and photographic evidence. The company and fans have calmed down since they released a trite and empty-sounding apology, and the film is still scheduled to finally release in 2023. Here’s hoping that everyone else involved with the feature will be able to proceed without any further Ezra Miller controversies overshadowing their hard work.
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