Extra, Extra!: Spectre's Inflated Budget Leads to Script Rewrites

In which I report on the latest in entertainment news.

With less than 8 months before it hits theaters and still well into production, Spectre - the latest in a long string of Bond movies - was already the cause for some concern.  And it's a real shame that at the same time that we should be getting psyched up at the teaser poster that they've just released, there's increasing concerns that an unexpectedly engorged budget is causing further production troubles and tax-incentive motivated script rewrites.

According to some reports, Spectre's budget has swelled to over $300 million.  In an attempt to combat soaring production costs, MGM has ordered script revisions in order to shave $14 off with tax breaks from the Mexican government.  These revisions include "aeriel shots of modern Mexico City buildings," using a non-Mexican actor for the role of assassin Sciarra and changing Sciarra's target from the governor of the Federal District to a nondescript international leader.  In addition, a Mexican actress (presumed to be The Bridge's Stephanie Sigman) was hired to play Bond girl Estrella and retooling an action sequence during a cage match to a chase sequence during a Dia de los Muertos celebration.

Most of these changes appear to be harmless enough.  Changing the nationalities of a few actors or adding a few shots of the city likely won't amount to any loss in street cred for the fifty-three year old movie franchise.  And while the downgrade from a specific target with ties to the setting does seem like an obvious downgrade, the cage match cum Dia de los Muertos action sequence seems like just as much of an upgrade.

And even if Spectre approaches Skyfall's $1 billion box office returns, every little bit helps to pad corporate profits and ensure that the Bond franchise is deemed profitable enough to justify future sequels.  And for all you optimists out there, Spectre will not surpass Skyfall's revenues.  It being Judi Dench's last movie of the franchise and tying into the fiftieth anniversary of the Dr. No pushed it well beyond what it otherwise would have earned, regardless of how astoundingly good it was.

Although script rewrites, no matter how minor, this late in the game are troubling to say the least, I still have every confidence that the film will be released on-time and just as slickly made as ever.  It is still one of my most anticipated movies of the year, only trailing behind Avengers: Age of Ultron and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  And if MGM could deliver a movie like Skyfall amid their bankruptcy, than I have no doubt that they can do the same with Spectre amid a few budget concerns.

So what are your thoughts about Spectre's script rewrites?  Let me know in the comment section below.

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