Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
We’ve been reporting on this film for a while now, and I’ve been quite vocal about hoping Aronofsky would be able to work out the difficulties he’s had in bringing this ambitious and beautiful script to the screen.
Looks like all that energy has, once again, been for nothing. At least for the moment.
What you’re about to read is one of the angriest, most blunt things I’ve ever published at AICN, and it comes from the place that never seems to have a voice in this business, the rank and file. When Harry and I visit film sets, we love to meet the guys who paint the sets, the guys who work as drivers... the guys who really do see and hear everything. These guys are the backbones of the films they work on, and making them angry is never a good thing. In this particular case, they’re feeling jerked around, and this letter is a perfect example of what it feels like to have your livelihood based on the decisions of someone you’ll most likely never meet. This is a personal opinion, keep in mind, that of someone who just saw a job walk out the door, and it also conclusively confirms news that I have been getting sent to me as rumors for the last few days:
Dear Harry,
We are sorry to tell you as of 1/2 an hour ago the news was announced to all of us working on the picture that the film is over. Apparently Brad cannot be talked back onto the film. Aronofsky said he and producer Gil Adler tried everything they could to convince him to come back on, but no cigar. The fact is that Warner Brothers will not go ahead without another big-name star. Aronofsky said there are only four other big names that are of Pitt's box-office caliber, all of whom are unavailable at such short notice.
The real bummer is for the 400 or so crew who have flown in from all corners of Australia and overseas - out on their asses. What amazes us is that it appears Brad Pitt has no real understanding of the impact of his decision, now only seven weeks from shooting. We estimate there is over 1500 people here in Australia, including family and children, who are now displaced and unemployed.
Do these stars, who get paid a huge percentage of a film's budget, understand that they are responsible for the livelihood of so many others? It appears that Brad surely doesn't. He may have a good reason for pulling out now, but to us it just appears like Hollywood prima-donna antics.
Word from the top is that we have to carefully wrap and store the enormous sets we have built, because the picture will go ahead, probably in twelve months time, with another star. Someone, hopefully, who is a bit more respectful of all the 'little people', who make their stars shine.
Aronofsky is totally gutted, and being that this is the second time we have built, painted and then packed this film in less than a year, he has encouraged us to voice our anger at Pitt's decision.
Aronofsky has planed a wrap party at his beachfront house. Given the nature of this wrap I think there will be some serious partying.
Send the word.... Brad is a dick.
The Crew @ THE FOUNTAIN
P.S. - New Aussie phrase - when someone shafts you: "You've been Pitted"
I pray this film does end up back in front of cameras at the right time in the very near future. In the meantime, maybe Vin Diesel and Universal and David Twohy can look into stepping up and using the studio space and the crews that just ended up in freefall. Diesel’s quoted over at Dark Horizons this morning saying that he was disappointed to be headed to Vancouver because all the Australian crews were allegedly busy. That way, the PITCH BLACK team gets what they want, the Australian crews end up working, and no one has to lose.
"Moriarty" out.
