While director Josh Trank said Friday that he had “made a personal decision” to leave the Star Wars universe, sources say reports of the young director’s unusual conduct during the making of Fox’s upcoming Fantastic Four movie had raised alarm among Lucasfilm executives that were entrusting him with the second Star Wars standalone film.
Trank,
30, had raised eyebrows in April when he didn’t appear as scheduled at a
Star Wars celebration in Anaheim. At the time, both Disney and the
director cited illness as the cause but multiple knowledgeable sources
say the studio had asked the filmmaker not to attend while considering
whether to proceed with him on the second spinoff in a planned series of
films.
Indeed, producers on Fantastic Four, set for
release July 30, are said to have faced great challenges pulling the
film together given behavior described by one insider as “erratic” and
at times “very isolated.” Trank did not offer clear direction, this
person adds, saying, "If you've got someone who can't answer questions
or who isn't sure or is in hiding, that's not good."
A Fox
spokesman says the studio is “very happy with the movie and we can’t
wait for audiences to see it” but acknowledges, “There were definitely
some bumps in the road.”
Among those bumps: Trank has several
small dogs who were left in a rented house in New Orleans while the film
was shooting there. According to sources, as much as $100,000 worth of
damage was done to the property. A source says the production considers
any destruction of the property to be Trank's responsibility.
Citing Trank’s work on the 2012 found-footage superhero movie Chronicle, an insider says: “No question there’s talent there. You can’t do Chronicle
by accident.” But Trank seemed “like one of these kids who comes to the
NBA with all the talent and none of the character-based skills to
handle it. There’s equipment he doesn’t yet have.”
According to sources, Trank was sometimes indecisive and uncommunicative. Producers Simon Kinberg and Hutch Parker
had to step in to help pull the film together, though sources stress
that Trank was still on set and directing the film. (Were that not the
case, the production could have run afoul of the Directors Guild of
America.)
Just over three months from opening, Fox’s Fantastic Four has done re-shoots. Those were complicated because stars Miles Teller, Kate Mara and Michael B. Jordan
had obligations on other films. The most recent round, which involved
three days of re-shoots at the end of April, had to take place on
weekends because of Teller’s work on Todd Phillip’s Arms and the Dude. Parker and Kinberg are said to have been heavily involved in those re-shoots, pulling them away from duties in Canada on X-Men: Apocalypse, which they also are producing.
Given the issues with Trank’s performance, the production added Stephen Rivkin (Avatar) to help pull the film together. Trank had hired his Chronicle editor, Elliot Greenberg, on the project.
Fantastic Four is
meant to reboot the Marvel superhero franchise for Fox. The comic is
venerated for its place in history as it launched Marvel Comics in 1962
and was the early creation from Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Fox made two movies, released in 2005 and 2007, that made $330 million
and $289 million respectively but failed to capture moviegoers’
imagination. Fox hastened to make a new movie as it risked having the
rights revert back to Marvel.
Kinberg, who is producing the second Star Wars standalone project (the first, Rogue One, is being directed by Gareth Edwards for a December 2016 release), is said to have communicated his displeasure with Trank to Kathleen Kennedy and the team at Lucasfilm. As the Star Wars brain trust heard more about Trank's behavior and working style, they became less confident in handing over the film to him.
Now, having decided to part ways, the studio is searching for another filmmaker to take over the project.
Disney declined to comment.
Read moreTrank,
30, had raised eyebrows in April when he didn’t appear as scheduled at a
Star Wars celebration in Anaheim. At the time, both Disney and the
director cited illness as the cause but multiple knowledgeable sources
say the studio had asked the filmmaker not to attend while considering
whether to proceed with him on the second spinoff in a planned series of
films.
Indeed, producers on Fantastic Four, set for
release July 30, are said to have faced great challenges pulling the
film together given behavior described by one insider as “erratic” and
at times “very isolated.” Trank did not offer clear direction, this
person adds, saying, "If you've got someone who can't answer questions
or who isn't sure or is in hiding, that's not good."
A Fox
spokesman says the studio is “very happy with the movie and we can’t
wait for audiences to see it” but acknowledges, “There were definitely
some bumps in the road.”
Among those bumps: Trank has several
small dogs who were left in a rented house in New Orleans while the film
was shooting there. According to sources, as much as $100,000 worth of
damage was done to the property. A source says the production considers
any destruction of the property to be Trank's responsibility.
Citing Trank’s work on the 2012 found-footage superhero movie Chronicle, an insider says: “No question there’s talent there. You can’t do Chronicle
by accident.” But Trank seemed “like one of these kids who comes to the
NBA with all the talent and none of the character-based skills to
handle it. There’s equipment he doesn’t yet have.”
According to sources, Trank was sometimes indecisive and uncommunicative. Producers Simon Kinberg and Hutch Parker
had to step in to help pull the film together, though sources stress
that Trank was still on set and directing the film. (Were that not the
case, the production could have run afoul of the Directors Guild of
America.)
Just over three months from opening, Fox’s Fantastic Four has done re-shoots. Those were complicated because stars Miles Teller, Kate Mara and Michael B. Jordan
had obligations on other films. The most recent round, which involved
three days of re-shoots at the end of April, had to take place on
weekends because of Teller’s work on Todd Phillip’s Arms and the Dude. Parker and Kinberg are said to have been heavily involved in those re-shoots, pulling them away from duties in Canada on X-Men: Apocalypse, which they also are producing.
Given the issues with Trank’s performance, the production added Stephen Rivkin (Avatar) to help pull the film together. Trank had hired his Chronicle editor, Elliot Greenberg, on the project.
Fantastic Four is
meant to reboot the Marvel superhero franchise for Fox. The comic is
venerated for its place in history as it launched Marvel Comics in 1962
and was the early creation from Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Fox made two movies, released in 2005 and 2007, that made $330 million
and $289 million respectively but failed to capture moviegoers’
imagination. Fox hastened to make a new movie as it risked having the
rights revert back to Marvel.
Kinberg, who is producing the second Star Wars standalone project (the first, Rogue One, is being directed by Gareth Edwards for a December 2016 release), is said to have communicated his displeasure with Trank to Kathleen Kennedy and the team at Lucasfilm. As the Star Wars brain trust heard more about Trank's behavior and working style, they became less confident in handing over the film to him.
Now, having decided to part ways, the studio is searching for another filmmaker to take over the project.
Disney declined to comment.
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