I’d like to tell you this news surprises me… but I’d be lying. Ever since they announced that there would be a G.I. Joe movie I’ve expressed my major reservations that such a project could actually be done well. I amplified my concerns when it was announced that they hired “Van Helsing” director Stephen Sommers to helm the project.
But this is REALLY bad.
The word on the street this morning is that in a test screening, G.I. Joe received the WORST SCORE EVER. The very worst test screening scores in Paramount’s history. This has lead to Paramount firing the director and even baring him from the studio, and have brought in other help… with just 2 months to go before the release… to try to “save” the movie.
Ummm… it’s a little late for that.
Paramount should hire ME to come in an fix the movie. Here’s what I’d do. Scrap all the footage Summers has shot, and string together 90 minutes of the “knowing is half the battle” videos G.I. Joe used to do and just show that on the screen. You know the videos… like this one warning brain damaged kids not to hide in refrigerators.
(Source: Latino Reviews)
*UPDATE*
Latino Reviews is reporting that one of the producers, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, is denying this story. I really don’t think I believe him and think this is just damage control… but here it is:
Latinoreview wanted to get to the bottom of this so we spoke directly with Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura about this whole firing mess and here’s what he had to say:
Lorenzo: It’s very unfair to Steve, it’s completely untrue he was never asked to leave or been fired or any of that. That’s ridiculous. The movie tested very well.
I hear it tested as good as the first Transformers.
Lorenzo: Well listen, we tested very well and I don’t compare the movies because they are different movies, but you know I think its really destructive for a director…It hurts a guy’s career when people go around talking about that he was fired or he didn’t do a good job and truth is he did a really good job. People are going to enjoy the movie and the test audiences enjoyed the movie.
He did a very good job the movie tested well and it couldn’t be more false that the studio in anyway did anything negatively to Steve.
So what really happened in the editing room?
Lorenzo: Nothing that doesn’t happen on every other movie, which is that you constantly work and work and work and you make it better and better. We had a delay on visual effects so we waited a long time to finish the movie but that’s the only thing. I don’t really know why that would be interpreting it negatively but I guess it was.
In regards to the testing the film has had so far:
Lorenzo: Everybody was happy, the studio was happy, the filmmakers were happy, the audience was happy with the movie. We had three test screenings, three different times and tested it and each time it just got better and better. We started off in a good place and we ended up in even in a better place, which is what you hope on a film from testing it.
