When you get names like Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary to write and David Fincher to direct, well, you have a special project on your hands. But when the names in question have varying styles that can get in the way of each other, the situation it not so exciting.
Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary spent the last two years adapting the graphic novel Black Hole by Charles Burns and with a director Alexandre Aja in place, things were moving smoothly. Then David Fincher replaced Aja at the helm and this is where things went bad. While David Fincher is an amazing director and can only do good things for this movie, apparently he has a sort of perfectionist routine to making his movies and this would have required a lot more of Gaiman and Avary than they were used to doing. Because of this, the duo stepped aside from the project and that’s where things stand now.
Neil Gaiman explained:
David explained his process consisted of having over ten drafts, done over and over, and Roger and I were sort of asked if we wanted to, if we were interested in doing that. And we definitely weren’t. We’ll wait and see what happens, I just hope whatever happens, it’s faithful to ‘Black Hole’
To me this is all just unfortunate. If Fincher goes that far to try and ensure a flawless product, then more power to him. Sadly, that is a hell of a lot to ask of your people, especially when his name is Neil Gaiman and happens to be one of the best and most sought-after writers on the planet!
Black Hole deals with a bunch of teens in the 70s who contract an STD that doesn’t just itch, it turns them into some nasty beasties and monsters!
Fincher has the last draft completed and hopefully it will turn out being enough to use. Surely Gaiman and Avary will still get some credit even if other writers are hired to refine and re-refine the script.
[Source: MTV]
