Sharing the story behind the Benedict Cumberbatch-starring film, Alfonso dishes that 'The Irishman' director was 'able to wrestle the film back' when things went horribly wrong with the studio.
- December 9, 2019
AceShowbiz - Filmmaker Alfonso Gomez-Rejon has Martin Scorsese to thank for saving his new film "The Current War", insisting the movie would have looked very different had the Hollywood legend not intervened.
Gomez-Rejon worked as an intern for Scorcese when he was 19 and was part of the team that helped put together 1995 film "Casino" - and he always figured he could call on his old boss if he ever needed help as his own moviemaking career took off.
He asked Scorsese to be an executive producer on "The Current War", which stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Shannon, and discovered just how powerful the movie mogul can be when studio bosses threatened to rip the film away from him.
"He (Scorsese) was a last resort should things go horribly wrong with the studio or if I had a problem preserving my vision for the film," the director explains. "And then everything went wrong!"
"He was able to wrestle the film back and get me back my final cut legally and then hand it to me and let me finish my vision. It took a while. The studio collapsed but we got the film back. I needed that gentle shove to get clarity and try to find my movie again."
As a result, Alfonso's new film has been released as a Director's Cut.
