If at first you don't succeed, try, try, again. This applies to many things, even in the world of Hollywood filmmaking. In the case of producing large studio blockbusters, the filmmaking process is riddled with studio intervention, which usually leads to reshoots. There are many famous movies that have been forced to undergo reshoots before fans saw the finished product.
But as much as reshoots are made in order to improve the movie, sometimes they begin to take a toll on the cast and crew. There are plenty of films that have undergone reshoots and have experienced some form of bump in the road during the production process.
10 Joss Whedon's Justice League Disappointed Fans
One of the most infamously known reshoots in recent history, DC fans are still pained by Joss Whedon's additions to the 2018 Justice League release. After the well-documented departure of project head Zack Snyder after a family tragedy, Joss Whedon was bought onto the project to finish up filming. Cuts to the script were made, and reshoots were included in the cinematic release, which fell short, to say the least, in the eyes of critics and fans everywhere.
To say nothing of the redacted storylines to both Cyborg and the Flash, one of the most protruding details noticed in the reshoots was the CGI used to cover up Henry Cavill's mustache. The film was so badly received that it ignited the campaign to release Zack Snyder's original cut of the movie, which finally happened in 2021.
9 Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Didn't Have An Ending
Edgar Wright's film adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's comic book series has become a cult classic. However, at the time of filming, the books were yet to be finished, so there was no source material for the film's resolution, which Wright came up with himself. In the film's original ending, Scott and Knives Chau get back together, but O'Malley believed that this decision would dilute Knives' character arc over the course of the movie.
This led to Wright working with O'Malley to write a new ending, where Knives admits she's outgrown Scott, and he and Ramona end up together. The final ending was shot only three months before the film was released, and O'Malley would even go on to adapt this ending for the books as he was finishing up the series.
8 Superman II Was A Studio Disaster
It was decided in 1977 that the first two Christopher Reeves Superman movies would be filmed back-to-back. However, after the completion and release of the first film, director Richard Donner, who had developed an incendiary relationship with the producers, was fired from the project despite having already completed 75% of the film. Richard Lester was brought in to finish the film, but the hits kept rolling.
The backlash from Donner's firing trickled down throughout the crew. Editors, creative consultants, and even Gene Hackman (Lex Luthor) refused to return for reshoots, forcing screenwriters to completely change the opening and endings of the film. Even Christopher Reeve, who was facing scheduling conflicts, received a legal notice that he was forced to return to reshoots, creating a very hostile environment on set.
7 Solo: A Star Wars Story Completely Changed A Character
A film that had a very long and drawn-out production schedule, the critical panning of Solo: A Star Wars Story can possibly be attributed to the reshoots done on the project. After starting filming in January 2017, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, along with editor Chris Dickens, were all fired, after Lucasfilm reviewed the footage accumulated and were displeased with the footage.
Ron Howard was brought in to finish the film, but scheduling complications prevented actor Michael K. Williams to return for reshoots. This forced Howard to reshape the character completely, even re-casting Paul Bettany to play it. The film was mediocre at the box office, and the tumultuous changes in production can be seen as a reason for the film's stifled success.
6 The Fantastic Four Was A Trainwreck In Production
Known amongst fans as "The Tranktastic Four," the 2015 remake of the Fantastic Four's origin was a rocky production, to say the least. After producers changed the original script director Josh Trank had provided, reshoots on the film were ordered by the studio after they felt the movie seemed more like a sequel to Trank's previous superhero film, Chronicle.
The movie was made even more infamous after reports leaked that there were serious disagreements between Trank and the studio over not just the production of the film but also Trank's behavior on set. The day before the film's release, Trank posted a message online about how disappointed he was with the finished product.
5 The New Mutants Kept Getting Rescheduled
The New Mutants was one of the most tedious projects in 21st Century Fox's X-Men universe. An origin story about the first generation of mutants after the X-Men, The New Mutants depicted the trauma that mutants like Wolfsbane, Magik, and Danielle Moonstar faced as a result of their powers manifesting. Despite being announced as a project in 2016, the film wouldn't be released until 2020.
Filming finished in 2017 but Disney's acquisition of the X-Men from 21st Century Fox in 2018, along with the commercial success of Stephen King's It led to reshoots, with the studio wanting more horror elements in the story. Pushed back further to accommodate for the release of X-Men: Dark Phoenix, the film didn't see a theatrical release until August 2020.
4 Suicide Squad Couldn't Find A Tone
Filming for Suicide Squad began in April 2015 and finished in August. However, after reviewing the principal footage, Warner Brothers decided to order reshoots, expecting the comedic and lighthearted tone to the film. After the critical panning of the grim and somber tone of Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, the studio wanted to avoid a somber viewing experience.
The reshoots led to a very difficult post-production process, with the new interpretation of the film having cut the first 40 minutes, most if not all of Jared Leto's scenes as the Joker, and reduced the roles of many primary characters such as Harley Quinn, Katana, and Enchantress. In the long run, the complicated reshoots didn't redeem the film, and the title was given to James Gunn for a soft reboot.
3 Star Wars: Rogue One Added An Iconic Ending
Darth Vader's jaw-dropping cameo at the end of Star Wars: Rogue One is known as one of the best scenes in the new Star Wars canon, but it almost didn't happen. Kathleen Edwards originally promised fans a friendlier ending to the film, with all the characters expected to survive the end of the film.
However, in 2016, reports claimed that reshoots had been done, with Bourne series writer Tony Gilroy being brought in to rewrite scenes, including Darth Vader's appearance. The massacre aboard the Rebel command ship is perfectly in continuity with A New Hope and gives fans a deeper understanding of the stakes of the original trilogy.
2 Thor 2 Couldn't Fix Everything
Joss Whedon was brought onto Thor 2 to finish up some reshoots, which ended up giving Thor's brother, Loki, more screen time. Chris Hemsworth's wife was even included in the reshoots, as a stand-in for Thor's love interest Jane Foster in a romantic scene, since Natalie Portman was wrapped up in a different project.
While the reshoots didn't drastically improve the overall quality of the film, it did add a large amount of character depth to the character of Loki, which arguably paved the way for his current exploits in the MCU in his own Disney+ show.
1 X-Men: Dark Phoenix Was A Lackluster Finale
The last of the X-Men films to be handled by 21st Century Fox, Dark Phoenix was the worst-performing film out of the franchise. The adaptation of the "Dark Phoenix Saga" finished principal photography in 2017, but after bad reviews from test screenings, Fox demanded reshoots and a rewriting of the script.
But after writer and director Simon Kinberg finished adjustments to the third act of the film, scheduling conflicts with the cast delayed the film's release even longer. Fox then changed the release date of the film numerous times after that in order to avoid competition from other films, leading to a disappointing rollout.
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