In a strange and unprecedented occurrence,
Deadline are reporting that director Lynne Ramsay FAILED TO TURN UP on the first day of filming in Santa Fe for western Jane Got A Gun, leaving star/producer Natalie Portman and actors Jude Law, Joel Edgerton and Rodrigo Santoro twiddling their thumbs. We've gone around the What Culture Towers and can't recall a moment when this has happened before in recent film history. Ramsay's shocking no-show has understandably angered backer Scott Steindorff who has called it an "irresponsible act by one person". He is fighting to keep his picture alive and says a "replacement is imminent". He said in a statement;
I have millions of dollars invested, were ready to shoot, we have a great script, crew and cast, Steindorff said. Im shocked and so disappointed someone would do this to 150 crew members who devoted so much time, energy, commitment and loyalty to a project, and then have the director not show up. It is insane somebody would do this to other people. I feel more for the crew and their families, but we are keeping the show going on, directors are flying in, and a replacement is imminent.
As for the legal side of things, Steindorff revealed that the We Need To Talk About Kevin director had a financial deal which; was pay or play, and Marty Singer has been retained. My focus is on making this movie, but I will protect all my rights. This comes down to an irresponsible act by one person. Neither Ramsay or her representatives have revealed why she exited the project so abruptly but one theory is over the loss of Michael Fassbender last week. The actor, one of the hottest rising properties in Hollywood, himself bailed on the project due to scheduling on X-Men: Days Of Future Past, with Edgerton quickly stepping him to replace him. Perhaps either his exiting a week before production was due to begin soured Ramsay's desire to make the picture or there are deeper problems with the movie that led to both her and Fassbender quitting, which could be the case given the new X-Men movie is still some weeks away from actually shooting. We're certain it will all come out in the wash anyway, so watch this space... The important thing as an outsider looking in would be to make sure Scott Pictures a) Get a new director quickly as stagnate productions waste too much money to last long and b) make sure that director is enough of a talent to keep Portman interested. Without her, the project looks dead. Jane Got a Gun centers on a woman who must ask an ex-lover for help in order to save her outlaw husband from a gang who are out to kill him. Rookie writer Brian Duffield wrote the script, his only current IMDB credit.