The New York Post has written an article on the number problems on and around the set of "The Stepford Wives." Rumors of cast and crew clashing with director Frank Oz (Spies Like Us, voice of Miss Piggy) have been whispered about since production started last summer. Click over for the dirt.
Apparently, Nicole Kidman complained about the script first which the Post suggests opened up the floodgates the other assorted stars to flaunt their pull and fan their egos.
According to the Post informants, "Fourteen different people were saying what they wanted, and no one was willing to blink. That's why a shoot that was supposed to take three months wound up taking eight...There were too many cooks"
Eight months for a high profile studio comedy thriller is not unheard of, but seems silly in this case. And the blame, if there needs to be any, should fall on the shoulders of Oz. A director sets the tone of shooting, and if she or he is blows, then production is doomed to emulate their temperments. Every major player had an opinion about how the movie should go. Others wanted " a manic satire of the suburbs; others wanted a sci-fi thriller like the original "Stepford."
Director Oz reportedly had fallouts with Chris Walken (who threatened to quit) and Kidman. Two endings were shot(not uncommon at all) and then the studio wanted another. Director Oz temporarily quit then came back in December and been working on it ever since. Various reshoots have taken place.
Stay tuned this week for reviews and word of mouth.