‘Nailed’ bailed…for now
That an independent film might run into financing problems doesn’t strike me as especially newsworthy. Yet, perhaps because Nailed belongs to high profile and controversial filmmaker David O. Russell, every little production hiccup has been reported on breathlessly.
Except for the first sign of trouble when James Caan walked off the set, I’ve steered clear of mentioning it, in part because it was impossible to know whether each report was a snag or a fatal blow.
If the film gets made, I don’t especially care about the non-creative details. If it gets shelved, well that’s worth talking about.
More ominous have been the overall financial difficulties of Nailed investor Capitol Films, but that’s a subject for the business pages.
I mention all this now because The Hollywood Reporter’s Gregg Goldstein and Leslie Simmons wrote last night that “a late-breaking financing deal with Comerica Bank” had allowed filming on Nailed to resume.
The deal “will help the film meet it’s projected $25 million budget…but some of the filmmakers aren’t sure if the funds will last through postproduction.”
According to a producer quoted in the Hollywood Reporter piece, the film must finish shooting by June 22 in order to keep the principal cast. “One more shutdown will kill the movie.” Even if shooting is completed, the producer notes that more financing will be needed to finish the film.
If it ever sees the light of day, Nailed will star Jake Gyllenhaal, Jessica Biel and Catherine Keener.
Filed under: News
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I hate to kick a guy when he’s down, but since I’m fairly certain David O. Russell has no problem kicking people when he’s directing, then I’ll have to say I’ve been enjoying the continuing debacle that is David O. Russell. He gives respectable bloggers something to snark about other than soulless studio execs.
I just hope everyone involved on this production gets paid every cent they’re due.
In this case it sounds like much of the problem is not of Mr. Russell’s making.
The Lily Tomlin video was funny, but I don’t really understand what the whole fuss is about. I’m sure if there were cell phone cameras and gossip blogs in the ’50s, we’d have glimpses of worse things than shouting matches and slamming doors. I bet Otto Preminger’s hissy fits were a lot more interesting.
I’m not sure I categorize the videos I saw as funny. A verbally and physically abusive boss isn’t my idea of fun. This kind of thing likely has happened in the past and if I knew of it specifically, my opinion of said director would be lessened.
An abusive creative @sshole is still an abusive @sshole.
I wouldn’t want to have dinner with the guy, but I still want to see his movies.
I thought Lily Tomlin dished it out just as well as Russell. It’s funny in the sense that it vindicates the idea that money — i.e. million dollar salaries to essentially play make believe — doesn’t buy happiness. If the videotape was of some middle management type abusing his secretary, I agree, it wouldn’t be funny.
“Tragedy is when _I_ stub my toe, comedy is when _you_ walk into an open manhole”