There have been many signs of trouble on Jane Got a Gun, a western starring Natalie Portman, which has seen a number of cast and crew drop out. The question is why.
The first person to jump ship was director Lynne Ramsay, who left shortly before the first day of filming. The director behind We Need to Talk About Kevin and Ratcatcher reportedly was feuding with producers, while others whispered that she was displaying erratic behavior. The production itself was also in disarray because Michael Fassbender had to drop out before production started. Joel Edgerton, a less familiar name, replaced him, and that led to problems with investors. Whatever the reason behind her departure, Ramsay is now off to Cannes, where she will be a
judge at the 2013 film festival. That sounds like an apt reward after all
that drama.
After Ramsay left, it set off a chain reaction. With Ramsay out, Jude Law quit. He was replaced by Bradley Cooper. Then Cooper dropped out, because the Boston bombings delayed the wrap of the production of American Hustle, his upcoming David O. Russell feature. Ewan McGregor will now play the role of the villain, the third person to be cast in that role.
The new director is Gavin O'Connor, who helmed the well-received Warrior, which starred Edgerton. The screenwriter of Warrior, Anthony Tambakis, co-wrote Jane Got a Gun, which adds to the connection--and maybe explains why Ramsay was so quickly replaced. McGregor also has a connection to the cast, appearing in the Star Wars movies with Portman.
The only non-moving part in this production is Portman. Her role sounds juicy, which may be why she's stuck around. She will play a woman whose outlaw husband (Noah Emmerich) returns home ridden with bullets. She turns to her ex-lover (Edgerton) for help defending her homestead from the villain (McGregor) and his gang, which she predicts will soon be at their doorstep. Presuming production actually starts and finishes without another hitch, this one should show up in theatres sometime in 2015.
