10 Movies Delayed To "Get It Right" (That Still Got It Wrong)
6. Last Action Hero - The Spoof That Became A Serious(ly Awful) Action Movie
Where to start with this one? 1993’s action sort-of-comedy flop was delayed more times than almost any other film on this list, with each portion of its production heralding new problems for screenwriters, directors, cast, and crew. Initially a broad spoof of action movies inspired by The Simpsons, the script’s first draft was rewritten to be less violent by Lethal Weapon scribe Shane Black (interesting choice).
This draft was itself revised by Die Hard director John McTiernan, who didn’t care for its meta-comedy (you know, the whole point of the film), and made more of a straight action movie. This extended series of rewrites left the filmmakers little time to shoot and even less time to edit, resulting in the tonally inscrutable flick which was eventually released to bemused—and unamused—audiences in 1993.
The flick flopped hard, and though everyone involved still insists their version of the project could have been incredible, the film is now mostly known for being a case of too many typically talented cooks spoiling the broth.