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Clint Eastwood has a long-standing relationship with Warner Bros. Pictures and has given them plenty of hits as a director and a star. So, it was highly controversial when WB’s plans for his latest filmJuror No. 2included a limited release with little to no marketing. Many criticized the studio for trying to bury the film despite Eastwood’s legacy.
However, when theFor A Few Dollars Morestar was at the peak of his career, he could call the shots and bend the studio to his will. WB reportedly planned on reducing the violence in the filmDirty Harry. However, Eastwood reportedly put a stop to it at the script stage and demanded one particular thing.
Clint Eastwood Made WB Bend To His One Demand ForDirty Harry
Clint Eastwoodis one of the most legendary filmmakers and actors who is still working in the industry today. At the age of 94, Eastwood has released his latest directorialJuror No.2in theaters and though it has been speculated that it would be his final film, there has been no confirmation from the maverick filmmaker.
“Clint Eastwood really must have pissed off someone”: Warner Bros’ Cold Behaviour Towards Juror 2 is Concerning as its Box Office Numbers Will Remain a Secret
Eastwood has won the Oscar twice for Directing and has given Warner Bros. multiple high-grossing films. However, the studio seems to be on a bad streak and has reportedly givenJuror No.2a limited release on fewer than 50 screens domestically.Varietyreported that the studio was not planning on releasing the box office numbers either.
This is a sad state of affairs for the legendary filmmaker, who at one point could bend the studio to his will. His iconic filmDirty Harrywould reportedly have been a completely different film had Eastwood not been attached and demanded a few changes. According to Marc Eliot’sAmerican Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood, Eastwood said,
When I came over [to Warner Bros.], it was tied into somebody else and the script was going in another direction. I got [Don] Siegel involved. My agreement with Warner Bros. was, ‘I’ll do it if you’ll let me hire a director like Don Siegel and we’ll take the story back to its original concept’ — which was Harry Julian Fink’s screenplay. They had taken it off in another direction.
The studio had reportedly tried to mount the project with several directors and actors who had allegedly dropped off after reading the violent script. This reportedly led to many rewrites to change the original tone.
Clint Eastwood Recounted The Changes WB Had Made When He Became Attached ToDirty Harry
Before Clint Eastwood, there were reportedly many contenders for the role of Harry Callahan. Actors such as Frank Sinatra, John Wayne, and Steve McQueen were apparently offered the role, with only Sinatra attached to the film for some time. However, they all eventually left, leavingDirty Harryto be available for Eastwood.
Clint Eastwood Has the Last Laugh: WB Reportedly Planning Awards Campaign for Juror No. 2 Amid 93% Rotten Tomatoes Score
However, by the time Eastwood got into the project, he claimed that many things had been changed by the studio. In an interview with MTV News (viaSlash Film), Eastwood said,
[They changed] Everything. They had marine snipers coming on in the end, and I said, ‘No. This is losing the point of the whole story, of the guy chasing the killer down. It’s becoming an extravaganza that’s losing its character.
In the end, it was the focus on Harry Callahan’s rebellious cop that made the film a success, leading to multiple sequels.
Dirty Harryis available to stream on Max.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2417
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
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