It started as a hugely anticipated movie among independent film fans and general audiences alike, but Where The Wild Things Are may now be in danger of becoming an urban legend, a visionary movie that nobody ever gets to see. The Spike Jonze adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s seminal children’s book has suffered rumors of its own demise for months, as the release date continues to be pushed back and Jonze reportedly tries to retool his vision to satisfy Warner Bros.
Now Patrick Goldstein, the reporter and blogger for The Los Angeles Times, is taking a look at the movie in his blog The Big Picture, motivated by the fact that Warner Bros. has completely removed Wild Things from its upcoming schedule. Uh-oh. Being a big-time reporter, Goldstein got Warner Bros. reps on the phone, and they promised not all was lost. “"We'd like to find a common ground that represents Spike's vision but still offers a film that really delivers for a broad-based audience. We obviously still have a challenge on our hands,” said Warner exec Alan Horn, with perhaps a gigantic understatement. By way of reassurance, he added, “No one wants to turn this into a bland, sanitized studio movie. This is a very special piece of material and we're just trying to get it right."
Goldstein points out that Warner Bros. has made an effort to hand over big-budget properties to visionary, upstart directors, and has had massive success, from Alfonso Cuaron’s definitive take on Harry Potter to Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s series. But, then again, these are the guys who gave the Wachowskis Speed Racer, and pretty much everyone lived to regret that decision. Jonze has proven his visual dexterity in his music videos and mind-bending features, but the success of his two movies thus far (Being John Malkovich and Adaptation) could both conceivably be credited to Charlie Kaufman, who came up with the story that keeps Jonze’s weird vision afloat. Jonze has Dave Eggers on his side for the Wild Things screenplay, but still, it’s possible that this time he can’t find the balance between the bizarre aesthetics and the story that keeps the movie alive.
Goldstein repeats rumors that children cried and ran out of test screenings, and that Jonze is currently trying to find a way to make his puppet-CGI hybrid “wild things” more compelling characters. So it looks like this isn’t just an instance of an evil studio clamping down on a talented filmmaker, but a series of problems way too big to overcome in the editing room. Goldstein’s article asks “Can Spike Jonze save Where The Wild Things Are?” The less optimistic question, but perhaps the more accurate one, is “Has Spike Jonze killed Where The Wild Things Are?”
