Art, Commerce, Celebrity Collide in WB's Troubled 'Jesse James'

For months, I had been hearing that the upcoming Brad Pitt westerner The Assasination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford was going to be a tough release for Warner Bros. Word was that the film, just like the Ron Hansen novel it was adapted from, was long, dark, dense and contemplative--not your usual Hollywood fare, which makes sense since the studio had hired Kiwi helmer Andrew Dominik (who made the 2000 crime drama/black comedy Chopper) to direct it. The story explores the outlaw's relationship with celebrity, infamy, money and a young, tormented member of his gang named Ford (played by Casey Affleck). John Horn breaks the issue down in the LA Times today and puts the problem in the editing room after early cuts of the film tested poorly. "At one point there were competing versions--one from writer-director Andrew Dominik and another from producer and star Pitt, according to a person familiar with making the movie." It's unclear which version will be released on Sept. 21. (I'm guessing it's the one that works best as a prestige picture but is still commercially viable). Warner Bros., which is releasing a bonafide Pitt blockbuster this summer (Ocean's Thirteen) obviously knew that Jesse James was a risk and limited exposure by keeping the budget low at $30 million. But James is just the latest in editing problems for the studio. The Eric Bana/Drew Barrymore $50 million gambling rom-com Lucky You from director Curtis Hanson has gone through half a dozen different cuts and about the same number of release dates. It opens this Friday opposite Spider-Man 3. The studio would probably call that "counter programming." I would call it a vote of no confidence.