Monday, August 5, 2013

Photo of the Day

Shaw (Matthew Modine) and Morgan (Geena Davis) in a publicity photo for CUTTHROAT ISLAND (1995)

They might be smiling but this film brought more misery to a bunch of people in Hollywood (and the world) than any other film is history. Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves, Liam Neeson, Jeff Bridges, Ralph Fiennes, Charlie Sheen, and Michael Keaton all turned down the role of Shaw. They all can claim they dodged a bullet there. It's funny that ten or so years later the Swashbucking genre would become a hot commodity with the enormous success of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN (2003). This $110 million production made only $10 million at the box-office. It destroyed the following:

- Carolco studios filed for bankruptcy six weeks before this hit theatres.

- Geena Davis' film career was derailed because of this film.

- Matthew's film career/leading man status was permanently damaged.

- Genna Davis and Renny Harlin (director of HERCULES 3D), who were married in 1993, divorced in 1998. The fact that Harlin fathered a child with his personal assistant, who worked with the director on Cutthroat Island, didn't help matters.

Cutthroat indeed. Aaaargh!

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