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It is a frequent occurrence in the entertainment world, where the director or actor initially associated with a project is not the same as those involved in the final product. And so it happened with the critically acclaimed film of Tim Burton,Big Fish(2003), which had Steven Spielberg originally slated to direct the film.
Steven Spielberg [PC: Gage Skidmore | Wikimedia Commons]But theJawsdirector was forced to opt out due to his commitment to other projects, making Burton take over the reins. Yet, Spielberg does not regret leaving the film and even agrees that he made the right call.
Steven Spielberg was Happy to Quit Tim Burton’sBig Fish
Big Fishis one of the best movies ofTim Burton‘s entire career. A deeply poignant, fantasy film starringEwan McGregor, it is based on the 1998 novel by Daniel Wallace,Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions. A critical success, the movie was slated to be directed bySteven Spielberg(viaABC).
Initially offered to Spielberg,Big Fishcould have been his next movie afterMinority Report. Yet due to his commitments to finishMinority Reportand to start the preparation forCatch Me If You Can, Spielberg decided to drop out and Tim Burton eventually made it through.
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Despite the missed opportunity, Spielberg had no regrets as producer Dan Jinks once revealed to Empire Magazine (viaMovieWeb).
Once Steven decided he wasn’t going to do it, we put the script back to the way it was. Steven even said, ‘I think I made a mistake with a couple of things I asked you guys to try.’
Wanting Jack Nicholson to play the lead, Spielberg had made several changes to John August’s script ofBig Fish. But when he quit the movie, he advised the production to not change the script as per his directions. So, by the time Tim Burton came on as the director, Jinks remarked that the script wasin the best shape it had ever been.
Why did Tim Burton Choose to DirectBig Fish?
Tim Burton [PC: Gage Skidmore | Wikimedia Commons]Big Fishis a movie that tells the tale of a son who is frustrated by his father’s tall tales. As he struggles to comprehend his father’sfictionaltales fromreality, the father-son duo struggles to connect and relate. But in the end, the son eventually learns the truth about his father and reconciles.
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A critically acclaimed movie that went on to earn several nominations for various awards,Big Fishwas a film that Burton found deeply relatable. Not close to either of his parents, the loss of his father and mother around that time deeply affected him, prompting him to make a movie likeBig Fish.
My father died, and my mother was ill, so I read the script and I feel like it captured a thing that was always quite difficult for me to put into words. That relationship, it just, you try to talk about it, and it doesn’t, it didn’t … Well, you can never really talk about it. You know, these issues are just in you. So I thought I’d just show it.
Stated Burton once toTime Magazine, revealing the tragedy that made him direct the film. It is often said that only the one who has gone through a certain experience can express it as a whole, and Burton did exactly the same inBig Fish,drawing inspiration from his tragic childhood to make the film.
As we reflect back, it was only for the best that Steven Spielberg let the movie go. For not only did we get Spielberg’sCatch Me If you’re able to, but Tim Burton helmingBig Fishwas the best thing that ever happened.
Big Fishcan be rented on Amazon Prime.
Maria Sultan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2703
Maria Sultan is a dedicated News Content Writer at FandomWire. With over five years of professional experience and hundreds of published articles, she brings a wealth of expertise to her coverage of Marvel, K-dramas, and the latest on streaming platforms.Her work is not just about reporting news; it’s about providing insightful perspectives on the entertainment trends that matter most.
