The trades has an article on director Mathieu Kassovitz remarking about how shitty his new film is and is blaming it on Fox:
Twentieth Century Fox's "Babylon A.D." was a negative pickup -- and it's turning out more negative than expected.
After getting some unenthusiastic reviews, helmer Mathieu Kassovitz is seeking to distance himself from the film, which opens Friday — even though the version reviewed was the director’s international version, and Fox is not releasing the film overseas.
In an interview with AMCtv.com, Kassovitz called the sci-fi thriller "pure violence and stupidity," with parts of the film resembling "a bad episode of '24.' "
Sources close to the production, who likened Kassovitz to the mercurial Billy Walsh character on "Entourage," called the AMC comments just the latest in a series of headaches involving Kassovitz.
Production on "Babylon A.D." was delayed three weeks for personal reasons involving Kassovitz. And Fox, like the overseas distribs, have been annoyed that the director failed to meet many of his press obligations and has instead retreated to a Caribbean island.
Sources say the helmer (and sometime actor who starred in "Amelie") has fired his reps at Endeavor. The agency didn't respond to inquiries involving Kassovitz.
Kassovitz, who previously helmed the Halle Berry starrer "Gothika" and French-language breakout "La Haine," told AMCtv.com that Fox was to blame for the film's subpar state, even though it is not releasing the version reviewed.
"Fox was sending lawyers who were looking at all the commas and the dots," Kassovitz said in the interview. "They made everything difficult from A to Z."
Fox declined comment on the Kassovitz remarks but said it is moving full steam ahead on releasing the film. The studio is optimistic because the pic is tracking well with young men; Fox is expecting an opening akin to that of Universal's "Death Race," which picked up $12.6 million in its debut weekend. Fox also noted that the film's star Vin Diesel is out fully supporting the film.
This kind of arrogance and finger pointing pisses me off. You direct a movie, then shit all over it and blame the studio because it's getting bad reviews?
At least Vin Diesel is being professional about it. Even if he thought the movie was awful, you'd never hear him say it. I don't care if studio executives and lawyers came to the set everyday and started peeing in your coffee, you need to just do the best job you can do and quit blaming everyone else. Ya, I'd be pissed too if someone was fucking with my work, but I'd shut my god damn mouth about it. And to not even go to press events, instead opting for Caribbean vacations? Ok, actually I wouldn't want to do press stuff either. I guess I can't blame you for that one.
I'm sure studio interference can be a normal thing in a film's production. The studio wants to see what's going on with their project, but stop being such a Frenchie boy. Grow a pair and quit blaming everyone else if your movie sucks. Your French films might be good, but Gothika was a piece of shit. You blame the studio for that mess as well?
