Pardon the Christopher Guestish humor in this situation, but Flicks.Co.NZ is reporting that Peter Jackson and one of his art directors are in a big tiff on the set of The Lovely Bones. Why? Because they can’t agree on the film adaptation’s notion of Heaven. Filming has temporarily stopped until The Pearly Gates, a major aspect/set in the film, meets Jackson’s satisfaction. “More clouds I say!” Crew is said to be on an extended break for cigarettes and GTA4.
You may recall that Jackson had a prior creative difference when he replaced Ryan Gosling, who had gone pudgy for a major role, with Mark Wahlberg. And recently, Susan Sarandon offered a little creative dissonance while on the Speed Racer red carpet to Empire…
“Peter Jackson is really a nice guy and very interesting. It was really a very different way of working. We had a good time, I’m really curious to see what it’s like because he kept pushing me to be more and more extreme and sometimes that’s when you make your big mistakes so I’m not sure how it will come off - it will be interesting to see it from the point of view of the audience.”
Sarandon went on to say that her character, Grandma Lynn, didn’t seem like a “real grandmother,” and seemed more like an alcoholic, tacky caricature there to serve comic relief. So, does this all equal another case of the trendy “complicated birthing process” or is it a troubling sign of things to come for the actual film? As long as Heaven doesn’t resemble a wet hallucination straight out of What Dreams May Come, I’d say Jackson is undeserving of the nickname “Cloudy Killjoy.”
Discuss: What cinematic heaven met your personal VIP standards? I’d have to default and go with Bernie’s MO in A Weekend at Bernie’s.
May 1st, 2008 at 9:40 am
I grabbed the book from my girlfriend’s collection and tried to give it a read because Peter Jackson’s involvement gave me a curiosty about the story. Managed to get about halfway and I just didn’t get it. It’s embarassingly tacky/gimmicky and unless PJ makes one very interesting adaptation I can’t see this as anything but a complete mis-step in his directorial career.
May 1st, 2008 at 10:02 am
I can’t tell if the What Dreams May Come comment is deragatory towards the movie or complimentary. I personally loved the idea they had for Heaven, some of the best Cinematography work to come out around that time.
May 1st, 2008 at 10:05 am
Sarandon characther in the book is in a way comic relied and I think the idea of heaven is hard to make because the book makes it difficult to create.
The book is good but maybe not right for jackson
May 1st, 2008 at 10:19 am
Peter Jackson is a faggot and should kill himself and never make another movie again.
That’s just a fact.
May 1st, 2008 at 10:26 am
I’d say the best heaven for film was in Heaven can Wait. Very white with fog and a Concord jet.
May 1st, 2008 at 10:32 am
A little known fact is that Peter Jackson in his youth was part of the legendary Jackson Five.
All Peter’s done since his glory days was make a couple movies.
On a side note, Peter Jackson is fat.
May 1st, 2008 at 10:32 am
A little known fact is that Peter Jackson in his youth was
part of the legendary Jackson Five.
All Peter’s done since his glory days was make a
couple movies.
On a side note, Peter Jackson is fat.
May 1st, 2008 at 11:13 am
Actually, he’s not fat anymore. The pic above is several years old already.
May 1st, 2008 at 11:15 am
Does the Happy place from happy gilmore count as heaven?
May 1st, 2008 at 11:25 am
Ryan Gosling quit and was replaced with Wahlberg because Jackson was being difficult.
May 1st, 2008 at 11:28 am
Heaven= the fat girl from “Eraser Head” singing and tap dancing on giant sperms.
May 1st, 2008 at 11:45 am
Seems like Larry Leonardo & A.J. have been drinking from the “Full of Shit” fountain again.
You guys need to form an internet superhero team that revolves around homosexuality.
May 1st, 2008 at 11:58 am
This movie is already at 70% and dropping without Gosling so Peters going to have to overtime it extra hard to get the visual look right so we can actually buy the very blanked Marky-Mark in this role. Same thing PTA did in Boogey Nights.
The novel Lovely Bones has several different versions of a heaven that evolves or matures as the girl progresses and comes to terms with her afterlife. So its going to take a great deal of subtly not to make it look like a ritzy after-school special. I’m still looking forward to it but I absolutely think that Gosling would have made this film. Think of it as the opposite of a Jack Torrence arc. Instead of getting pulled from lethargy to madness he breaks through to live a greater life and saves his family from a future of sadness and loss. What about that says YO! I BE FROM JERSEY! I GOTS AN ENTORAGE!? What a poignant poignant poignant poignant movie.
Doesn’t it almost melt your frigging pussy off?
May 1st, 2008 at 12:40 pm
The movie finished filming 2 months ago, so I say this is BS!
May 1st, 2008 at 1:16 pm
I don’t know anything about the story behind this film and my opinions on an ‘afterlife’ are too sour to bother discussing here.
But, I will say to AJ & Larry Leo that bashing Peter Jackson isn’t going to stop him from making movies or stop media from reporting on his activities.
Did you guys just find the internet yesterday or something?
Trolling is as old as anonymous communication and the centuries we’ve had it for just go to show that it does nothing but make the troll look stupid.
Google ‘Trolling’ if you don’t know what I’m talking about.
May 1st, 2008 at 2:59 pm
I just listened to it on “books on tape”. Heaven should have been easy for them - it’s what that particular person would want it to be so the actual “heaven” doesn’t exist in the book. The girl is in a place that she would consider heaven. Susan Sarandon should read the book - Grandma Lynn is comic relief.
May 1st, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Hands down: The heaven in Defending Your Life. All-you-can-eat buffets, the Past Life Pavilion and a fear-based evaluation of your life that determines whether you will reincarnate or move on. PERFECT.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:22 pm
whoa, whats with all the PJ bashing?! i, not use to that at all! oh well, hey i just read an article/interview confirming that ian mckellen is reprising his gandolf role!!
as for this film, i think it’ll be really good, but designing heaven is a difficult task - i can understand why there would be some disagreement, because i’m not sure if the books paints a specific enough picture.
May 1st, 2008 at 7:43 pm
I’d say the best depiction of heaven in a movie has to be the one in South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut.
May 2nd, 2008 at 1:38 am
I happen to know someone who knows Fan and their kids, who recently spoke to Fran and she said they’d finished filming and things were a bit more relaxed now; that was at least a month ago. So perhaps there’s some post production shenanigans going on, but filming is over.
May 2nd, 2008 at 6:04 am
Weirs story, they sdhould tell more about Mr. harvey, what he does afterward, where does he go? The show him getting busted, thats a story, mak a movie about him.
May 2nd, 2008 at 7:09 am
Peter,
I wish i could have just a 1/100000000 of your brains. You are blessed. A big fat CONGRATULATIONS to all your efforts
July 1st, 2008 at 5:11 pm
wow thx