Joss Whedon has had a dramatic career trajectory in Hollywood. But before his rise to fame after the huge reception of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, he was just a normal writer trying to etch a place for himself in Tinsel Town. In the 80s, he started lending his scriptwriting skills to blockbusters such as Alien: Resurrection and Twister, to name a few.
But this rapid rise to popularity was also subject to a lot of criticism and followed a precipitous fall. However, long before he butchered the Justice League, Whedon found himself in a somewhat similar situation with Kevin Costner’s Waterworld (1995).
Joss Whedon Couldn’t Save Kevin Costner’s Waterworld Disaster
Kevin Costner‘s Waterworld had a unique history of its own. Released in 1995, the movie had a budget that soured to unprecedented heights. But despite the grandeur and hefty budget, it quickly gained a reputation as one of the biggest and most expensive flops in Hollywood history.
After witnessing the Mad Max series, the Old Testament, and The Odyssey, screenwriter Peter Radar envisioned writing a post-apocalyptic universe of his own. He then pitched this idea as a children’s adventure movie and got Charles and Lawrence Gorden involved in the project. The script landed in the hands of actor Kevin Costner, who suggested Kevin Reynolds helm the project.
While Costner suggested Reynolds for the project, the duo had a major falling out, which resulted in Reynolds leaving the movie just 3 months before its completion.
In the midst of this, Joss Whedon was brought in for the last moment rewrites for the post-apocalyptic project. Initially, he was scheduled to stay there for a week, but that soon turned into “7 weeks of hell.” During this period, Whedon’s main job was to take notes from Kevin Costner and turn them into meaningful script material. But even after weeks of hard work, the final product was something that Whedon found unsatisfactory. He added in an interview with AV Club (via Yahoo!):
I wrote a few puns, and a few scenes I can’t sit through because they came out so bad.
While the movie bombed at the box office, Kevin Costner doesn’t consider it a black spot on his illustrious career. In an interview (via Cinema Blend), the Yellowstone actor added that the movie could have had a more favorable outcome, but it was never a setback for him. Further, that despite its flaws, the post-apocalyptic movie still remains a source of pride for him.
Justice League Was Joss Whedon’s Biggest Regret
After a personal tragedy struck Zack Snyder, Joss Whedon was brought in to fill his shoes for 2017’s Justice League. But as soon as Whedon stepped in, he noted that his filmmaking approach starkly contrasted with that of Snyder. Unlike Snyder, who allowed actors to shape their character dialogues, Whedon wanted everyone to adhere strictly to the script. This approach led to major friction on set, especially with Gal Gadot, who played Wonder Woman (via CBR).
She blamed the director for bragging about their disagreements on set and even threatening her career. To these accusations, Joss Whedon responded that, given English was Gadot’s second language, she took his jokes as serious threats. Not just Gal Gadot, but Joss Whedon’s decisions also stirred up controversy with Ray Fisher, who played Victor Stone/Cyborg.
Whedon cut out the majority of Fisher’s scenes in Justice League, which were part of Zack Snyder’s original vision. After receiving flak, the director reasoned that the cuts happened due to poor acting and negative test screenings. While Whedon’s vision was met with critical failure, Warner Bros. brought in the Snyder Cut (Zack Snyder’s Justice League). The original movie removed Joss Whedon’s alterations and reintegrated the edited scenes.
You can rent Waterworld and Zack Snyder’s Justice League on Apple TV.
