When one talks of artistic collaborations in Hollywood, the duos of Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves, and Christopher Nolan and Cillian Murphy come to mind immediately for their successful partnerships together. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks are not far behind, having shared a memorable association in 5 films and being co-producers on 2 miniseries, Band of Brothers and its spin-off show, The Pacific.
Spielberg who has done films in almost every genre, had the opportunity to work with Hanks in the comic book space when he was offered to Max Allan Collins‘ graphic novel, Road To Perdition. The director who was impressed with the idea, unfortunately could not commit to it owing to a busy schedule of films under his belt.
Steven Spielberg Came This Close To Helming Road To Perdition
In 2002, Tom Hanks and Paul Newman starred in the crime drama Road to Perdition directed by Sam Mendes. The film was based on the first volume of the graphic novel series of the same name by Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner.
The story which takes place during the Great Depression, follows an enforcer and his son as they seek revenge against the mobster who murdered the rest of their family. The film also explored the complex dynamics of a father-son relationship amidst an atmosphere of violence.
Producer Dean Zanuck who was keen to develop the graphic novel for the screen, consulted his father Richard Zanuck to give him some direction. After reading the book, Zanuck Sr. had no doubts about who should helm this project. Recalling his fathers words, Zanuck Jr. told EW,
Dad told me to send it to Steven Spielberg.
Unfortunately, Spielberg could not commit to directing the film owing to a full calendar of projects under his belt. But the Oscar winner was extremely keen that the movie should get made, and brought in close collaborator and production giant DreamWorks Pictures along with screenplay writer David Self. The Jaws director then contacted Tom Hanks, who was working on Cast Away at the time.
While Hanks didn’t fully focus his attention on the novel, Self’s adapted screenplay which he received later, made him sit up and take notice. The actor admitted that the father-son angle hit home for him. Finally, Sam Mendes stepped on board as director.
Road To Perdition received a lot of praise from fans and critics for its stylized and modern take on a traditional gangster flick. A lot of that credit could well go to Spielberg for initially pulling the strings, getting the team together, and kickstarting the project.
How Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg Created A Whole Jungle For This Series
In 2001, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks joined forces to become executive producers on the miniseries Band of Brothers which was based on historian Stephen E. Ambrose’s 1992 book of the same name. The war drama which won an Emmy and a Golden Globe, gave rise to a spin-off series titled The Pacific which first aired in 2010.
Band of Brothers further proved Spielberg’s technical prowess and skill for grand visualizations, and became the most expensive television series ever made at that time with its total cost of production being $125 million (via Screen Rant). But the two Oscar-winning producers beat their own record with 2010’s The Pacific which cost HBO over $200 million to make.
Speaking to EW in 2010, the Philadelphia star and the Jaws director spoke about their vision for the series and why an extensive budget was required to bring it to life. While it did not look like the production details were as elaborate as in the Band of Brothers, Spielberg revealed that one of the key factors included creating the whole jungle in the show from scratch.
When you see Band of Brothers, you say, ‘oh, I understand, that was a backlot, that was a village in Holland, grey sky and mud’. When you see all the episodes in The Pacific, you see a lot of jungle, you see a lot of palm trees, and you say, ‘Well, what did they build?’ Yeah. We had to terraform, to be able to match the historic topography of where they were fighting.
Part of the reason, according to Hanks, was due to preserving the rain forests in Port Douglas, Australia, where the filming was done, to ensure that the production did not hamper the natural surroundings. He also lauded HBO for stepping in to take on this huge monetary task to ensure that the series saw the light of day.
Road to Perdition can be streamed on Apple TV.
