5 Screenwriters That Ended Up Hating Their Own Movies

3. Joe Eszterhas - Jade

Today, Joe Eszterhas is known as the man fighting tobacco use in films and as a victim of one of Mel Gibson's endless acts of rage, if he is known at all. However, in the 90s, Eszterhas was one of the biggest and loudest screenwriters in Hollywood. After writing hit films like Basic Instinct, Eszterhas was the talk of the town, earning top dollar for his controversial, sex-induced thriller specs. The script that perhaps earned him the most money was Jade. Paramount CEO Sherry Lansing personally met with Eszterhas to discuss the potential of buying his script. According to Eszterhas, she promised that not one word would be changed, which was good in the case of Eszterhas, because he was not shy about venting his opinions on his work being rewritten. The politics of Hollywood came into play in the case of Jade as the director's chair was handed to Lansing's husband, William Friedkin, against Eszterhas' wishes. Friedkin then did a complete rewrite of the script, changing a considerable amount of the story. According to Eszterhas' memoir, Hollywood Animal, he threatened to remove his name from the movie and lambast the film's very existence. That is until Lansing offered him a blind script deal worth $2-4 million. The joke was on Lansing and Friedkin, of course, when Jade earned under $10 million and Eszterhas refused to support the endeavor anyway, laughing all the way to the bank. However, Friedkin says to this day that Jade was his favorite film of everything he made. Eszterhas likely thinks the opposite.