At the Greenlight announcement party, Chris Moore tells Ben Affleck that the choice of John Gulager may have "sunk" Project Greenlight. "We're going out in a blaze of f--kin' glory." Matt Damon's "trifecta" analogy seems apt: either Gulager will rise to the occasion and deliver a unique and successful horror film...or he'll sink like a rock, and take Project Greenlight down with him.
Once settled in their new (and brightly painted) offices, Gulager, writers Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton, and their producers Mike Leahy and Joel Soisson meet with Andrew Rona, co-president of Dimension. In a very matter-of-fact way, Andrew dispels any illusions the three contest winners might hold. "The script is extremely flawed," and the studio has reservations about Gulager's ability to be the vocal leader of a sixty-man crew. All three are now employees on a Dimension film and can be replaced, if necessary. "We'll do what we have to do to protect our investment."
As written, Feast simply cannot be produced on a $2 million budget. While producers Mike and Joel haggle with the studio over dollars, the writers work in alternating twelve-hour shifts to rewrite the script in ways that will lower costs — primarily by eliminating or consolidating characters and reducing the special effects requirements — while at the same time trying improve the storytelling. At some point, the pair step away from their HP laptops long enough to sign an agent at ICM and have a power lunch with their lawyer at Le Dome.
At an early script conference with Chris and Andrew (via phone), the group turns to Gulager for his vision of how the film will blend its horror and comic elements, only to find the director unable to articulate one. Frustrated, Andrew hangs up on the call. "I guess I didn't say the right things," observes John, "and everybody got made at me." To make matters worse, Andrew's dissatisfaction extends to the creature designs submitted by visual effects pro Gary Tunnicliffe, who has also had a hard time getting clear direction from the novice director.
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