History ExecutiveMeddling / LiveActionFilms

* Paramount changed hands during the production of ''Film/Explorers'', with the new higher-ups wanting to bring forward the film's release date. This necessitated a very rushed production, to the point where the paint on the sets hadn't finished drying when filming began. After director Joe Dante and editor Tina Hirsch submitted the original rough cut in late spring, the studio told them to stop working on the film and changed the release date from late August to early July to take advantage of the busy summer market. According to Dante, about an hour and a half of footage wound up on the cutting room floor, with sequences having to be re-dubbed to help the film make more sense and provide a sense of closure. While Dante appreciates the warm reception the film received in the years since its release, he remains conflicted due to the released version not being representative of the movie he wanted to make.

* The ''Film/SuperMarioBros'' movie was originally a Creator/{{Disney}} production. Disney wanted a more fantasy-based production, but they were in a hole early when they were forced to fire director Greg Beeman after spending $10 million in just six months. They scrambled for nearly a year before finally hiring Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel (of ''Series/MaxHeadroom'' fame) -- the only directors interested in it. They told the new writers to strictly limit new action scenes or anything requiring special effects; they were ignored, resulting in two rewrites before filming began. Then the execs micromanaged the heck out of Morton and Jankel, deleted 20 minutes' worth of footage, and created an atrocious animated intro to make up for it. It's said that this treatment was a big reason why Creator/{{Nintendo}} refused to license its characters to Disney for its theme parks (going with Creator/{{Universal}} instead).

''Film/XMenFilmSeries'':

** However, one instance of meddling which the filmmakers resisted was regarding the origin of the Graboids. In the script it was never explained, so Universal asked screenwriters Brent Maddock and SS Wilson to write a scene where Burt would find a UFO containing Graboid eggs. They obliged and pitched it to the crew, only for everyone to agree that it was terrible, so it was left out. It would later be explained in the sequel that Graboids are indeed from Earth (or have at least existed there for a long time, possibly over a billion years), with a Graboid fossil dating back to the Precambrian era.

* ''Film/{{Tremors}}'' had some positive meddling regarding the casting. The studio suggested that Creator/MichaelGross, then a household name due to ''Series/FamilyTies'', should play Burt Gummer. The crew was worried, as this would be PlayingAgainstType for Gross, but Gross did so well in the role that he made the character an EnsembleDarkhorse. Similarly, the studio also suggested casting country singer Music/RebaMcEntire as Burt's wife Heather, who had never acted in a movie before; she was successful enough in the role to launch her own acting career.

* ''Film/{{Tremors}}'' had some positive meddling regarding the casting. The studio suggested that Creator/MichaelGross, then a household name due to ''Series/FamilyTies'', should play Burt Gummer. The crew was worried, as this would be PlayingAgainstType for Gross, but Gross did so well in the role that he made the character an EnsembleDarkhorse. Similarly, the studio also suggested casting country singer Music/RebaMcEntire, who had never acted in a movie before; she was successful enough in the role to launch her own acting career.

* The script for the 1987 Creator/BlakeEdwards [[ScrewballComedy screwball comedy]] ''Film/BlindDate'' starring Creator/BruceWillis and Creator/KimBasinger was rewritten so much[[note]]Blake Edwards, Leslie Dixon, Tom Ropelewski, and Michael Alan Eddy all did uncredited rewrites on the script. According to Launer among the scenes added were one where someone crashes into a bakery and becomes covered with flour. Other scenes involved someone while fully clothed, jumping or falling into a swimming pool and someone tossing something into a woman's [[AbsoluteCleavage cleavage]].[[/note]] that Dale Launer, who wrote the original script[[note]]The studio wanted changes; a [[BlackComedy black]] screwball comedy then turned into a standard screwball comedy. The screenplay was re-written "by a woman writer to [[LighterAndSofter soften it up]]". The woman writer was Leslie Dixon. This re-written draft was given to Blake Edwards - who also re-wrote it.[[/note]], pretty much [[CreatorBacklash disowned]] the finished film[[note]]Launer tried to replace his name with that of his registered pseudonym Nigel Grosswanker, but the studio declined.[[/note]]. Launer called his experience with Blake Edwards to be the worst in the motion picture business. According to Launer, Edwards refused to talk to him and even refused to have someone tell him that Edwards wasn't going to talk to him. The bottom-line for Launer was that Edwards was shooting his script[[note]]Launer felt that ''Blind Date'' is a [[IncrediblyLameFun lame]], slapstick piece of shit. The ''Los Angeles Times'' called it "an archaic, {{lobotom|y}}ized screenplay by Dale Launer". He agrees with the critique, but disagrees about [[{{Misblamed}} being given the blame]]. If you like the movie, "...give the credit to Edwards and Dixon, if you hate it, blame them."[[/note]] but was unwilling to have any communication with him whatsoever.

** ''Film/Hellboy2004'': Executives felt that Hellboy should be changed from an out-and-out demon to a human who was (somehow, inexplicably) born in Hell who would turn into Hellboy when he got angry, a la the [[Comicbook/IncredibleHulk Hulk]]. Del Toro vetoed all attempts to change the character and again eventually won out.

** And he really wanted Superman to fight a GiantSpider. It completely befuddled Kevin Smith, who could only surmise that it was an homage to ''Film/KingKong''. This became Peters' most infamous request; it would be parodied by the animated ''WesternAnimation/SupermanDoomsday'', where Superman does fight a giant mechanical spider, which a bystander -- resembling and voiced by Creator/KevinSmith -- calls "lame". (''ComicBook/SupermanBirthright'' did the same but made it [[RuleOfCool awesome]].) Peters, undeterred, would bring his GiantSpider obsession to other projects, including an abortive adaptation of ''ComicBook/TheSandman'', before finally getting his wish in ''Film/WildWildWest''.

* ''Film/TheUnbearableWeightOfMassiveTalent'' gained some humor after Creator/{{Lionsgate}} presidents told the writers that the comedy would benefit from additional gags, when Nick and Javi begin brainstorming their screenplay. This resulted in a sequence of the duo sharing some LSD to come up with ideas, then becoming increasingly paranoid of their surroundings, allowing Creator/NicolasCage and Creator/PedroPascal more opportunities to [[ChewingTheScenery chew the scenery]]. In the DVDCommentary, the writers look back on this as an instance of executives improving the final film.

** ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'' was originally planned to focus more on the Dark Elves, especially Malekith, but those scenes were cut in favor of more of EnsembleDarkhorse Loki. (Fan reaction was mixed.) Director Alan Taylor also [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/24/thor-2-credits-scene_n_4159190.html?utm_hp_ref=entertainment publicly complained]] about TheStinger that set up ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', feeling that it clashed with what was otherwise a fantasy film; Marvel ''loves'' these stingers and had this one done without Taylor's involvement.

* ''Film/TheUnbearableWeightOfMassiveTalent'' gained some humor after Creator/{{Lionsgate}} presidents told the writers that the comedy would benefit from additional gags, when Nick and Javi begin brainstorming their screenplay. This resulted in a sequence of the duo sharing some LSD to come up with ideas, then becoming increasingly paranoid of their surroundings, allowing Creator/NicolasCage and Creator/PedroPascal more opportunities to [[ChewingTheScenery chew the scenery]].

* ''Film/TheUnbearableWeightOfMassiveTalent'' provides an example of executives improving the movie. Creator/{{Lionsgate}} presidents advised the writers to add some more comedy when Javi and Nick begin brainstorming their screenplay. This resulted in the duo sharing some LSD to come up with some ideas, giving Creator/PedroPascal and Creator/NicolasCage additional opportunities to [[ChewingTheScenery chew the scenery]] as their characters become increasingly paranoid of their surroundings.

* ''Film/TheUnbearableWeightOfMassiveTalent'' provides an example of executives improving the movie. Creator/{{Lionsgate}} presidents advised the writers to add some more comedy when Javi and Nick begin brainstorming their screenplay. This resulted in the duo sharing some LSD to come up with some ideas, providing Creator/PedroPascal and Creator/NicolasCage with additional opportunities to [[ChewingTheScenery chew the scenery]] as their characters become increasingly paranoid of their surroundings.

* ''Film/ScoobyDoo'': Creator/JamesGunn wrote a PG-13 movie around urban legends and WildMassGuessing developed by fans. Despite these elements being filmed, Creator/WarnerBros forced many of them to be cut to get a PG rating. Later on, Gunn's contract mandated that he write a sequel and he was forced to leave the ''Film/DawnOfTheDead2004'' remake as a result.

* [[Film/Carrie2013 The 2013 remake]] of Creator/BrianDePalma's ''Literature/{{Carrie}}'' was not intended to be a remake at all. Director [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/BoysDontCry Kimberly Pierce]] intended to make a film that was more faithful to the Creator/StephenKing book than the earlier film, but the studio forced her to reshoot footage to bring it more into line with the deviations De Palma had originally made. A leaked screenplay confirms this.

* The ''Film/{{Hitman}}'' movie was severely meddled with, at least according to [[http://www.cinematical.com/2007/11/06/timothy-olyphant-says-hitman-director-was-maybe-sort-of-fir/ well-substantiated rumors]]. If you watch the trailers (and promotional stills) carefully, you can see the remains of a different "train station" scene. It is said that the producers ordered the editor, Nicolas de Toth, to direct the re-shoot -- without even notifying the director, Xavier Gens. The leaked near-final script contains scenes that could be matched to the remains seen in trailers and promotional photos.

* The Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse was once plagued by reactionary responses by Creator/WarnerBros executives following the poor reception of ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' among critics and audiences. It has recovered from this since ''Film/{{Aquaman|2018}}''.
** ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' was the unfortunate victim of this, with the original 3-hour film being cut down to 2 1/2 hours, due to the studio's apprehension about the commercial success and the potential R Rating. This ironically led to several significant scenes being cut out of the film, partially contributing to its mixed to bad reception from critics.
** ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'' suffered '''big time''' from executive meddling. In a lengthy report from [[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/suicide-squads-secret-drama-rushed-916693 The Hollywood Reporter]], with insider information provides from several sources who worked closely on the film, there were ''several'' major issues before, during ''and'' after the production of the movie:
*** CEO Kevin Tsujihara announced ''Suicide Squad'' in October 2014, and it was "a sprint from the start" to meet its August 2016 release date. "[Ayer] wrote the script in like, six weeks, and they just went." And pushing the release date back was not an option, since Warner Bros. already had big deals signed with companies like Samsung and other merchandise partners.
*** Warner Bros. hired Creator/DavidAyer to direct the movie, even though he had no prior experience making a big, CGI-filled blockbuster. Seasoned directors are expensive, meaning studios turn to those with less experience, relying on instinct that they will be up to the job.
*** Warner Bros. executives, who had been nervous about ''Suicide Squad'' since the day it was announced, grew even more nervous after the negative response to ''Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice''. "Kevin was really pissed about damage to the brand," according to one executive close to the studio.
*** And then came the competing cuts. Warner Bros. felt that the movie didn’t deliver the fun, edgy tone that the “Bohemian Rhapsody” trailer captured. So while David Ayer continued to work on his version of the movie, Warner Bros. began working on another with help from Trailer Park, the company that had made the trailer. Multiple editors worked on ''Suicide Squad'', though only John Gilroy is credited. Although, according to a source who worked on the movie, he left by the end of the process and that the final editor was Michael Tronick.
*** In May, David Ayer’s darker version of the movie, and Warner Bros.’s lighter, more fun version were screened for test audiences. Ayer agreed to this, and they gathered all of the feedback and tried to reach a middle ground. In order to get the movie to that point though, millions of dollars were needed for reshoots.
*** There was also a lot of “panic and ego” involved, instead of calmly trying to address the tone issues. Things got so intense, that Ayer fired his long-time agent, hired a new one, but then decided to go back to his old one just a day later. “He was under a lot — a lot — of pressure,” according to one source.
** ''Film/{{Justice League|2017}}'' suffered immensely from studio interference after the disastrous critical and audience reception to ''Batman v Superman'', to the point of not being recognizable as a Creator/ZackSnyder film.
*** After some internal debate, Warner Bros. decided to keep on Snyder as they feared that firing him would be seen as a sign of weakness. However, Snyder was kept on a tighter leash.
*** The original ''Justice League'' script by screenwriter Creator/ChrisTerrio on a story by Snyder was intended to have a dystopian future where most of Earth's heroes had been killed and Superman had turned evil. However, the executives vetoed this plan following the negative reception to ''Batman v Superman'''s [[AngstAversion dark tone]], so Snyder started over with screenwriter Chris Terrio on a different shooting script.
*** After Snyder's daughter died during post-production, he stepped away from the film. Creator/JossWhedon was brought up by executives to finish up the project. Whedon was then ordered by them to write and direct several reshoots that altered the film's original tone and plot. Some changes included changing the color palette, removing several of the serious plot points and character moments, and adding more jokes in line with Whedon's previous works.
*** Given the mid-production changes, the film had to be delayed so that additional time could be spent on polishing the effects and properly editing the film. However, Warner Bros. execs refused to change the release date and forced the studio to stick to its original November 2017 release date.
*** Ultimately, the film wasn't nearly as successful as hoped, due to the mixed reception, the marketing troubles of having to exclude Superman on all advertising, and the behind-the-scenes issues. The film itself had many clear signs of interference from the inconsistent tone to the poor special effects.
*** After nearly three years of speculation and [[SendingStuffToSaveTheShow fan campaigns]] to release it, a director's cut, ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'', was announced for release on Creator/HBOMax in 2021. Snyder was given a budget to finish the film as close to his original vision as he could without executive interference (outside of a [[ExecutiveVeto veto]] on a [[Franchise/GreenLantern John Stewart]] scene he wanted to add) this time around.
** In general, much of the meddling stemmed from disagreements over the direction of the DCEU given how Snyder started out the ''de facto'' architect of the franchise. The studio wanted the DCEU to be a lighthearted ModularFranchise similar to that of the rival Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, thereby allowing it to reach a wide audience. Snyder, however, wanted to make a 5 EpicMovie arc that adhered to his own DarkerAndEdgier interpretation, while leaving said films open-ended for other directors to follow when making their own (such as Creator/PattyJenkins with ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}'' -- he also collaborated with her on the project). This difference in creative visions, coupled with his own personal family troubles, led to Snyder leaving directing duties in the franchise, and his original 5-movie plan getting scrapped.
** To avoid further studio interference, the Creator/DCFilms division was overhauled with new management that led to producer Walter Hamada becoming its president. As Hamada had previously worked with directors Creator/JamesWan and Creator/DavidFSandberg on Film/TheConjuringUniverse, neither ''Film/Aquaman2018'' nor ''Film/Shazam2019'' experienced the behind-the-scenes shenanigans and abrupt production changes that afflicted the other DCEU movies.
** The above shuffle hasn't stopped studio interferences as some filmmakers like Creator/PattyJenkins or Cathy Yan said in interviews. The (often criticized) third act of ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}'' was studio-mandated according to Jenkins, and ''Film/{{Birds of Prey|2020}}'' was similarly tampered with. Creator/GeoffJohns also enforced more Black Manta scenes in ''Aquaman'' against Creator/JamesWan's intent to use Orm only. None of these films generated as much controversy as the Snyder films and ''Suicide Squad'' so they're not likely to result in director's cuts.

** Ever wonder why ''{{Film/Black Panther|2018}}'' and ''Film/{{Captain Marvel|2019}}'' were stuck in DevelopmentHell until 2014? Well, you can blame Marvel Entertainment CEO Ike Perlmutter, a reputedly racist and misogynistic PointyHairedBoss who believed, [[IRejectYourReality and could conceivably still believe]], that audiences wouldn't want to watch movies with non-{{White Male Lead}} heroes (a belief that rings rather hollow given the success of ''Film/TheHungerGames'' and ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}''). Perlmutter himself would only allow Marvel Studios president Creator/KevinFeige to make ''Black Panther'' and ''Captain Marvel'' on the condition that Feige would make an ''Inhumans'' movie[[note]]Feige had no interest in adapting the Inhumans in the MCU, but Perlmutter wanted the Inhumans to replace the X-Men in the MCU. However, thanks to Marvel [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/marvel-shake-up-film-chief-819205 agreeing to take Perlmutter out of the picture]] after Feige convinced them that his meddling was dangerously close to causing SeasonalRot and an AudienceAlienatingEra, that movie never did end up happening, instead of being made into a [[Series/{{Inhumans}} TV series]], which unfortunately turned out absolutely awful and [[FranchiseKiller may have ended up the death knell for all Marvel TV properties]] besides the well-established and beloved ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD''[[/note]]. This issue, among many other questionable decisions Perlmutter made, led to Disney sacking him as Marvel CCO in October 2019 in favor of Feige.

** Ever wonder why ''{{Film/Black Panther|2018}}'' and ''Film/{{Captain Marvel|2019}}'' were stuck in DevelopmentHell until 2014? Well, you can blame Marvel Entertainment CEO Ike Perlmutter, a racist and misogynistic PointyHairedBoss who believed, [[IRejectYourReality and could conceivably still believe]], that audiences wouldn't want to watch movies with non-{{White Male Lead}} heroes (a belief that rings rather hollow given the success of ''Film/TheHungerGames'' and ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}''). Perlmutter himself would only allow Marvel Studios president Creator/KevinFeige to make ''Black Panther'' and ''Captain Marvel'' on the condition that Feige would make an ''Inhumans'' movie[[note]]Feige had no interest in adapting the Inhumans in the MCU, but Perlmutter wanted the Inhumans to replace the X-Men in the MCU. However, thanks to Marvel [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/marvel-shake-up-film-chief-819205 agreeing to take Perlmutter out of the picture]] after Feige convinced them that Perlmutter's meddling was dangerously close to causing an AudienceAlienatingEra, that movie never did end up happening, instead of being made into a [[Series/{{Inhumans}} TV series]], which unfortunately turned out absolutely awful and [[FranchiseKiller may have ended up the death knell for all Marvel TV properties]] besides the well-established and beloved ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD''[[/note]]. This issue, among many other questionable decisions Perlmutter made, led to Disney sacking him as Marvel CCO in October 2019 in favor of Feige.

** Ever wonder why ''{{Film/Black Panther|2018}}'' and ''Film/{{Captain Marvel|2019}}'' were stuck in DevelopmentHell until 2014? Well, you can blame Marvel Entertainment CEO Ike Perlmutter, a racist and misogynistic PointyHairedBoss who believed, [[IRejectYourReality and could conceivably still believe]], that audiences wouldn't want to watch movies with non-{{White Male Lead}} heroes (a belief that rings rather hollow given the success of ''Film/TheHungerGames'' and ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}''). Perlmutter himself would only allow Marvel Studios president Creator/KevinFeige to make ''Black Panther'' and ''Captain Marvel'' on the condition that Feige would make an ''Inhumans'' movie[[note]]Feige had no interest in adapting the Inhumans in the MCU, but Perlmutter wanted the Inhumans to replace the X-Men in the MCU. However, thanks to Marvel [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/marvel-shake-up-film-chief-819205 agreeing to take Perlmutter out of the picture]] after Feige convinced them that Perlmutter's meddling was dangerously close to causing a DorkAge, that movie never did end up happening, instead of being made into a [[Series/{{Inhumans}} TV series]], which unfortunately turned out absolutely awful and [[FranchiseKiller may have ended up the death knell for all Marvel TV properties]] besides the well-established and beloved ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD''[[/note]]. This issue, among many other questionable decisions Perlmutter made, led to Disney sacking him as Marvel CCO in October 2019 in favor of Feige.

** Even once the Creative Committee was dissolved, this reared its head again when Disney Studios president Alan Horne went over Creator/KevinFeige's head and fired Creator/JamesGunn from ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'' following online trolls uncovering some offensive tweets Gunn posted a decade prior (and which he had previously apologized for). While Gunn was eventually rehired after continued requests from Feige, the cast, crew, and fans of the franchise, production is still delayed until Gunn can finish working on ''The Suicide Squad'' for the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse.

** The 2013 South Korean film ''Film/{{Snowpiercer}}'' nearly went through Weinstein's editing machine as well, ignoring protests from the film's director, Creator/BongJoonHo (famous for ''Film/TheHost''). The original unedited film was a box-office hit in Korea, and it also got positive reviews after screenings in the UK. Weinstein cut the film by 25 minutes and edited it to play up the action at the expense of character development. Bong fought for the original cut, pointing to the negative press surrounding the recut, and he got his wish -- but Weinstein [[http://io9.com/us-release-of-snowpiercer-will-be-uncut-but-its-still-1518265822 scaled back]] the number of theaters that would show it.