Should Ben Affleck hault the release of Gone Baby Gone?
Actor is toying with the idea of delaying his directorial debut because of the plot similarities with the case of Madelaine McCann.
"I'm not up to date on the details and it is not something that has taken off in the United States in the way it has in the UK. It is only when someone said there was this case that was very similar to my film that we looked it up. We don't want to release the movie if it is going to touch a nerve or inflame anybody's sensitivities."This is quite similar to something that happened two years ago when V for Vendetta was eyeing a release date in the last months of 2005 but after the terroist attacks on July 5th it was deemed too similar and was too soon to be released in the U.K. The movie was then put back several months and the same looks likely to be the case here. Now I'm sure Affleck's a nice guy and everything but when he mentions that he doesn't want to inflame anyone's sensitivities, I think the only thing he is thinking about is the box office of his film, and rightfully so. The movie was made well before any of the events that took place in Portugal and is a complete work of fiction from someone elses novel. If he thinks the movie might suffer at the box office because of McCann's case (although I don't think it would personally, if anything it might improve it's chances with the added publicity) then that's fine... delay the release... it won't matter at all for the type of film you have made which can open pretty much anytime. But, don't do it just to avoid offending anyone - be proud of your film. Thoughts on this one guys? Too similar a tale to release? Would it offend you if this got screened in the U.K. at the end of the year?