Ghosting is the common phenomenon when a person becomes unresponsive in an ongoing conversation through text messages, avoiding any type of contact with the other person involved. While it is commonly talked about when it relates to romantic relationships, it can also apply to filmmakers trying to get movies worth hundreds of millions of dollars off the ground. During the “Directors on Directing” Panel, hosted by Collider’sSteve Weintraubat this year’s edition ofSan Diego Comic-Con,Louis Leterriermentioned thatJames Cameronghosted him while he was trying to produce aFantastic Voyagemovie:
I could not reach him. I was like “I’m pitching to them. I’m pitching to them! Are you here?” I was ghosted, but he had a good excuse, I swear. He was in the Mariana Trench that day. (He later said) “Sorry I couldn’t reach you, I was in the Mariana Trench”. And I said: “I fucked it up”.
Leterrier was trying to get the studio behind the idea of adaptingFantastic Voyage, the story of a small medical crew who shrinks down inside of a submarine in order to save a man’s life. The journey turns out to be extremely complicated, with Dr. Benes' (Jean Del Val) body responding to the foreign object inside of it, as well as a potential double agent inside the vessel. The film was released in 1966, and there was confusion between the general public becausethe movie’s novelizationhad become extremely popular months before the adventure hit the big screen, making people thing that the feature was based on the book, instead of the other way around.
The director was joined in the panel byJustin Simien, who recently directedDisney’s movie based on their popular theme park attraction,Haunted Mansion. On the other side of the table,Gareth Edwardswas ready to tell similar stories about his experiences working in the film industry, with Collider’s editor-in-chief,Steven Weintraub, hosting the event. The filmmakers had plenty of stories to share, in the celebration of their work held at this year’s edition of San Diego Comic-Con.
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What’s Next for Louis Leterrier?
After bringing the Toretto family to the big screen in high-octane fashion in this spring’sFast X, Leterrier will oversee thesecond part of the finale, which last leftVin Dieselin some serious peril. That’s not all for theFast Saga, however, with a spin-off starringDwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbsalso in the works.
