‘Hitch’ Director Says Will Smith Tried to Bail on Production 3 Days Before Filming – IndieWire

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We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Well, the production of iconic rom-com “Hitch” certainly did not go off without a… hitch.Director Andy Tennant told Business Insider for the 20th anniversary of the film that lead star Will Smith almost left production three days before filming to revise the script. The 2005 film “Hitch” starred Smith as a professional dating coach who is hired by a man (Kevin James) to woo the woman of his dreams (Amber Valletta). In the meantime, the titular Hitch is trying to win his own date (Eva Mendes).“There was a lot of fear doing a big, expensive romantic comedy with Will,” director Tennant recalled of the film. “It was fraught with peril. Will tried to back out three days before we started shooting. He wanted to shut down and work on it some more. It was madness.”

Related Stories Metrograph to Honor David Lynch with All-Day Marathon Featuring ‘Blue Velvet’ Cinematographer Frederick Elmes IndieWire Honors Announces 2025 Dates IndieWire has reached out to Smith’s representatives for comment, but we did not immediately hear back.According to Tennant, the development of “Hitch” was also rife with disagreements between himself and Smith, who hired Tennant specifically for the film. “There was a draft that Will brought in that I was not a fan of,” Tennant said of an initial script that included some of Smith’s “crazy story ideas.” He added of Smith, “We had our difficulties. The movie I wanted to make and the movie Will wanted to make, neither one of those movies is as good as the movie we made together. It was a battle. [Smith’s wife] Jada [Pinkett Smith] was a big help. She kind of seconded some of my instincts. There was a time during prep when I was pushing back on a lot of crazy shit that was happening. […] I didn’t want cheap jokes, but he didn’t trust me.”Tennant continued that he, too, threatened to exit the project over script disputes.“I finally told the studio [Columbia Pictures] that I was more afraid of Will making that version of the movie than I was about them firing me,” Tennant said, “because I knew they were right on the edge of firing me before we even began shooting. And to Will’s credit, we didn’t go with that draft. I don’t think I was ever in anyone’s favor.” IndieWire has also reached out to representatives at Sony and Columbia Pictures for comment, but we did not immediately receive a response.But that’s all in the past, Tennant said, especially considering the two have not spoken since the film was released in 2005.

“I don’t have anything against Will,” Tennant said. “He hired me to make this movie. It was not an easy job for anybody, but we went around the world with the movie. Even the hard times he’d always say, ‘Wait until the junket. We’re going to go around the world with this’ — and we did, and it was great. It was the most amazing trip I had ever been on. And when it was over, my time with Will was over. That was it. And I have never heard from him since.”That includes about a potential “Hitch” sequel, which Tennant says Smith “is developing.” Too bad, because Tennant says he has “a really good idea for a sequel.”“I guess Will is developing a ‘Hitch’ sequel without me,” Tennant said. “I just found out about it three months ago. I had a really good idea for a sequel, and I was talking to an executive at Sony, and he said Will’s production company is developing a sequel. Hey, that’s Hollywood.”By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
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