I’m usually the guy who stands up and says ‘Reshoots are no big deal,’ the big round of Jonah Hex reshoots give me pause. For one, they’re based on TWELVE new pages of script. That’s a lot of new stuff. And for another, Francis (I Am Legend) Lawrence has been brought in to direct the reshoots.
Well, maybe. Officially he’s been brought in as a ‘consultant’ and Jimmy Hayward (co-director of Horton Hears a Who!) is still the director. But when they’re bringing in full-fledged feature directors in to ‘consult’ with you on your very massive reshoots – well, that’s not great.
But how is it not great? Did Hayward’s cut of Jonah Hex come in lacking in action? Action is definitely on the plate for reshoots according to the Hollywood Reporter, and Lawrence is more of an action director. Now, there are two ways of looking at this:
Positive: The film was really good but Warner Bros thought more action could bring it over the top. These reshoots are a sign of faith in the film, and indicate the studio pouring more money into it and positioning it as a major summer player.
Negative: The action in the film was either anemic or cheap. The studio throws lots of money at Francis Lawrence to pump up the action, and to maybe make the film a bit more propulsive.
I kind of bet that Josh Brolin talks about this while doing press for the movie. He seems like the kind of guy who would be honest about this stuff.