You know the old saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”? That seems to be the motto for the independent comedy Nailed, which stars Jessica Biel and Jake Gyllenhaal. The movie has now been shut down four times due to financial problems. You see, if you don’t pay the cast and crew, they don’t work. That’s the position financeer Capitol Films has found themselves in several times, the most recently coming Friday when members of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees were ordered not to show up to work by their union after they weren’t paid.
You would think the producers at Capitol Films would know better. Variety’s story on the situation outlines three other shutdowns for the exact same problems, twice ordered by IATSE, and once by SAG when there wasn’t enough money in the production’s account to pay the actors.
Despite the studio’s financial woes, an inside source said production was expected to continue this week for the last two days of shooting, which includes a key scene for the movie. If I knew I was running short on funds, I probably would have moved key scenes up to make sure they were filmed before work stoppages occurred. Then again, since stoppages have been a trend throughout the past two months of filming, I guess there’s no real way to figure out where to put those key scenes.
