10 Insane Ways Movies Got Sabotaged
6. Bruce Willis Fired Major Cast & Crew Members - Broadway Brawler
In the case of 1997's Broadway Brawler, the on-set situation was so fraught that the Bruce Willis-starring rom-com never actually got finished shooting.
Roughly three weeks into principal photography, production was stopped due to major disagreements on set, typically said to be the result of star-producer Willis being unsatisfied with the work of numerous prominent cast and crew members.
This included director Lee Grant and cinematographer William A. Fraker, as well as Willis' co-producer Joe Feury (who just so happened to be married to Grant), and even the film's wardrobe designer.
With more than 50% of the $28 million budget already spent, Willis attempted to complete the film with a new director, Dennis Dugan (Happy Gilmore), yet ultimately Dugan was never able to film anything as the production soon fell apart.
Fraker has since alleged that Willis "took over" and tried to command the set, which Willis' reps denied.
Nevertheless, the actor was left on the hook for the shutdown, and so in order to appease distributor Disney - who were planning to sue him for $17.5 million - Willis accepted a three-picture deal at a massively reduced rate to offset the losses incurred.
These films ended up being Armageddon, The Sixth Sense, and The Kid, and given that they grossed a total of $1.3 billion combined, it's fair to say that Willis set things straight.
Even so, it's incredibly rare for a star's dissatisfaction with a project they're already shooting to become so pronounced that the entire thing collapses overnight.