Arnold's new action pic...

[George Bellefontaine]

My understanding is that this film was being witheld from release because of the events of September 11th, and yet I swear I saw some advertising somewhere regarding its release. In it Arnold playes a firefighter and his family is killed during a terrorist attack. If it is being released, I'm not sure people are ready for it. Was I just dreaming about this, or does anyone else recall seeing an ad on this film's release ?




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[JonMarsh]

George,

I recall something about that film, and it was as you describe, at least about him being a fire fighter, and the terrorist angle. That wouldn't be a easy topic these days. At least, it would be very emotionally charged, and maybe there were plot elements in the film that would be problematic, given the last two months. Who knows? Eventually we will.

Regards,

Jon




Earth First!
_______________________________
We'll screw up the other planets later....

[Markj]

George, I thought I read that this picture has stopped production. If that is true I don’t think this incomplete film will ever restart up production.

[Bob]

Collateral Damage was shot last year. About 12 weeks of it was shot in Mexico, which doubles as Columbia and about another 16 weeks of the film was shot in the Los Angeles area and on stages at Warner Bros.
The original screenplay was supposed to star Michael Douglas as a school teacher that loses his family in a terrorist bombing of the Columbian Embassy in Los Angeles. It was a drama rather than a action film. The plot was essentially that Michael begins to investigate into why terrorist would want to bomb the embassy in order to make sense out of the death of his family. In investigating what makes up a Columbian guerrila he discovers that they are just like him, people that have lost family members to political murders and are seeking revenge/reform.
When Arnold signed on, the film became a action movie with the same basic plot except the character is now a firefighter and he goes to Columbia to find the people that bombed the embassy and killed his family. After 16 rewrites with almost as many writers, the film is more about leftest politics than anything else. All the American characters are either evil CIA, Army, or Politicians, and the terrorists are poor Central and South Americans that are freedom fighters against the evil Americans and the governments that American oil companies control. If you saw the Tailor of Panama you will understand the director's politics as he wrote that script.
Bottom line, was the film pulled because it depicted a bombing, or was it pulled because of the way it portrayed Americans? I don't think the fact that the policemen of New York booed Mrs. Clinton was lost on the producers of Collateral Damage.
While I don't agree with the politics of Andy Davis (the director), it is true that the gurillas in Columbia are made up of many poor farmers that have been displaced by the land grabs of Occidental Oil (which gave $500,000/year to Al Gores father). And that Occidental Oil used mercenaries trained by U.S. military advisors to murder any farmers or indians that stood in their way.
I know that I have wandered off track here but, I really think that this filmed was pulled for more reasons than is being publized.

[P-Dub]

Bob: Thanks interesting stuff.

George: I only recall seeing some internet trailers for the film. I recall that soon after Sept 11, the film was pulled from the release schedule. Since then I haven't seen any advertising.




Paul

There are three kinds of people in this world; those that can count, and those that can't.

[Lex]

"I don't think the fact that the policemen of New York booed Mrs. Clinton was lost on the producers of Collateral Damage."

Bob, not sure I understand this statement. What relationship do the two events have?

Thanks,
Doug

[Lex]

oopz

[Bob]

"What relationship do the two events have?"
Probably none, except that right now isn't the best time to release a film that depicts Americans, or its leaders as the bad guys.
Just as Mrs. Clinton discovered that making negative statements about the NYPD wasn't well received.