Warner Brothers is often spotted under the radar of hate and criticism from moviegoers who don’t agree with several of their decisions. Now, the latest statement from the screenwriter Brian Helgeland revealed that the studio had also dismissed the thought of a sequel to L.A. Confidential. The 1997 movie is considered one of the best crime noir features and boasts an amazing critical and commercial reception.
L.A. Confidential had an ensemble cast starring Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey, and Kim Basinger in the lead. The movie was inspired by the book of the same name written by James Ellroy. Interestingly, Ellroy didn’t like the movie personally and believed that the late director Curtis Hanson couldn’t give justice to his work.
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What does Warner Brothers think about L.A. Confidential 2?
Despite James Ellroy’s distaste for the first movie, Brian Helgeland revealed that he along with Ellroy developed the idea for a sequel. Unfortunately, not a single entity showed their interest in the project which also includes the original makers Warner Brothers. Helgeland, who won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for the 1997 movie admitted that they were disappointed everywhere they pitched the movie.
While speaking at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Mystic River screenwriter revealed that they planned to bring back Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce along with the addition of the late actor Chadwick Boseman. But he admitted to Deadline that even the original studio Warner Brothers was uninterested in the idea of an L.A. Confidential 2.
“James Ellroy and I worked out an elaborate pitch for L.A. Confidential 2 that takes place during the Patty Hearst (era), when the Symbionese Liberation Army came down to L.A., and we had Guy Pearce attached and Russell (Crowe) and Chadwick Boseman playing a young cop working for Mayor Bradley. We pitched it to everyone. We had to go to Warner Bros first and Warner Bros is like we don’t make movies like this.”
He admitted that it was an amazing pitch by James Ellroy but still, they were left disappointed at the end. You can check out his full interview here:
Brian Helgeland on the ‘L.A. Confidential’ sequel and why it never saw the light of day #TIFF23 pic.twitter.com/DWkzdkQmEg
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) September 9, 2023
The original movie was also subjected to some controversies when it was revealed that the studio repeatedly wanted Russell Crowe to be out of the movie. They also stopped paying his hotel bills. On the other hand, even after Kim Basinger won the Oscar for Best Actress, James Ellroy publicly criticized her along with Crowe and Pearce.
Netflix’s reaction to L.A. Confidential 2 was more bizarre
If the words of Brian Helgeland are believed then Netflix’s reception is even more bizarre than Warner Brothers’ denial. He revealed that the executive at Netflix fell asleep during their pitch and it was the moment where he ultimately gave up.
“Our executive at Netflix fell asleep during the pitch. They fell asleep and nodded off during the pitch. … I got home, and said ‘we can’t do that anymore.'”
There will be undoubtedly a lot of fans who would have loved to see the combination of the late Chadwick Boseman with Guy Pearce and Crowe on the big screen. But unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that the L.A. Confidential sequel will ever be able to see the light of dawn.
It has undoubtedly disappointed a large section of the audience as well. As much as Warner Brothers will be subjected to discussion for passing on a project like L.A. Confidential 2, Netflix’s way of content selection is also likely to raise some eyebrows.
L.A. Confidential can be rented on Apple TV+.
