10 Ingenious Ways Film Directors Beat The Studio

Peter Jackson knew full well he'd have a hard time convincing any studio to make his desired Lord of the Rings trilogy, and so pitched to Miramax a two-film series instead.

But Miramax's then-parent company Disney ultimately presented a counter-offer, feeling that a duology was just too financially risky.

They instead suggested adapting the three books into a single abridged film, ditching Saruman (Christopher Lee), combining numerous characters and locations, cutting two of the Hobbits, and even using exposition dumps rather than actually, you know, filming crucial scenes from the book.

Jackson naturally wasn't too keen on these compromises, so Miramax responded by giving him a month to find another studio who would get onboard with his ambitious vision, or they'd just replace him with another director.

Miramax was clearly and understandably confident that Jackson, who had no experience in blockbuster fare and whose last film was a major box office bomb, wouldn't find a studio willing to give him hundreds of millions of dollars.

But Jackson stuck to his guns and lucked out, as New Line Cinema ended up giving him a $281 million budget to make his entire envisioned trilogy.

It goes without saying that The Lord of the Rings trilogy was a phenomenal success for all involved, while Miramax and the Weinsteins were left kicking rocks.