Movies Whose Production Stories Are Crazier Than the Plot

The magic of cinema often hides the chaotic reality of what happens behind the scenes. Filmmaking is a complex process that involves massive budgets and volatile creative personalities. Some productions suffer from such extreme bad luck or mismanagement that the story of their making becomes legendary. The following films are infamous for the disasters and bizarre events that plagued their creation.

‘Apocalypse Now’ (1979)

Francis Ford Coppola faced a hurricane that destroyed sets and a lead actor suffering a heart attack. Martin Sheen had a breakdown while filming the opening scene in a hotel room. Marlon Brando arrived on set overweight and unprepared to read his lines. The production went weeks over schedule and millions over budget in the Philippine jungle.

‘Roar’ (1981)

Tippi Hedren and Noel Marshall filmed with dozens of untrained lions and tigers on their property. Cast and crew members suffered over seventy distinct injuries during the chaotic shoot. Jan de Bont was scalped by a lion and required over one hundred stitches. The project took eleven years to complete and cost the family their entire fortune.

‘The Island of Dr. Moreau’ (1996)

Original director Richard Stanley was fired and secretly returned to the set as an extra in a dog mask. Val Kilmer and Marlon Brando clashed constantly with the crew and each other. Brando insisted on wearing an ice bucket on his head and refused to learn his script. A hurricane interrupted filming and contributed to the complete loss of control on set.

‘Fitzcarraldo’ (1982)

Director Werner Herzog insisted on dragging a three hundred ton steamship over a steep hill without special effects. Tensions ran so high that indigenous extras offered to kill star Klaus Kinski for the director. Several crew members were injured and one local man drowned during the river sequences. The production faced delays due to border wars and the erratic behavior of its lead actor.

‘The Abyss’ (1989)

James Cameron forced his cast to spend hours underwater in a massive concrete containment tank. Ed Harris nearly drowned during a scene when his regulator malfunctioned and he ran out of air. The water was heavily chlorinated and caused skin burns and hair loss for many actors. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio suffered a physical and emotional breakdown due to the grueling conditions.

‘Waterworld’ (1995)

Filming on open water proved to be a logistical nightmare that caused the budget to balloon immensely. Sets were destroyed by hurricanes and had to be rebuilt multiple times at great expense. Kevin Costner was on set for over one hundred and fifty days as costs spiraled out of control. Composer Mark Isham was fired late in production and Joss Whedon was flown in to rewrite the script.

‘Titanic’ (1997)

James Cameron went significantly over budget and offered to forfeit his directing fee to keep the film going. Someone spiked the lobster chowder with PCP and sent fifty crew members to the hospital. Kate Winslet developed hypothermia and nearly drowned because she refused to wear a wetsuit. The shoot was an exhausting marathon that led many to believe the film would be a massive failure.

‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939)

The original Tin Man Buddy Ebsen was hospitalized after his aluminum powder makeup coated his lungs. Margaret Hamilton suffered severe burns when a pyrotechnic effect malfunctioned during her exit. The actors playing the Munchkins were reportedly rowdy and caused disturbances at the hotel. Judy Garland was given amphetamines and barbiturates to keep up with the demanding schedule.

‘The Shining’ (1980)

Stanley Kubrick tormented Shelley Duvall to elicit a performance of genuine hysteria and exhaustion. The director demanded hundreds of takes for simple shots and refused to compromise on his vision. Scatman Crothers broke down in tears after performing the same scene over one hundred times. The stress of the production caused Duvall to lose hair and suffer from nervous exhaustion.

‘The Crow’ (1994)

Lead actor Brandon Lee was tragically killed when a prop gun fired a fragment of a real bullet. The production was halted while the cast and crew mourned the loss of their star. Digital effects and body doubles were used to complete the remaining scenes involving the main character. The film was released as a tribute to Lee despite the grim circumstances of its completion.

‘Twilight Zone: The Movie’ (1983)

A helicopter crash on set claimed the lives of actor Vic Morrow and two child actors. Director John Landis violated child labor laws by having the children work late at night. The tragedy led to a lengthy criminal trial and changed safety regulations in Hollywood forever. The accident cast a dark shadow over the entire production and the release of the film.

‘The Conqueror’ (1956)

The movie was filmed downwind from a nuclear testing site in Nevada during the Cold War. Producers shipped tons of radioactive soil back to the studio for reshoots to match the location. Dozens of cast and crew members including John Wayne later developed cancer. The film is often cited as one of the most deadly productions in cinema history.

‘Poltergeist’ (1982)

Rumors of a curse circulated after young actress Dominique Dunne was murdered shortly after the release. Heather O’Rourke died during the production of the third film due to a medical misdiagnosis. Real human skeletons were used as props because they were cheaper than plastic ones. These tragic events fueled the urban legend that the production was haunted.

‘The Exorcist’ (1973)

A fire destroyed the entire set of the MacNeil home except for the possessed bedroom. Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair both suffered permanent spinal injuries during stunt sequences. Nine people associated with the production died during or shortly after the filming. A priest was brought in to bless the set multiple times due to the uneasy atmosphere.

‘Blade Runner’ (1982)

Harrison Ford and director Ridley Scott constantly argued about the voiceover and the direction of the character. The crew created t-shirts mocking the director for his demanding nature and grueling night shoots. Producers seized control of the final cut and added a happy ending that Scott despised. The film was a box office disappointment that only found its audience years later.

‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015)

Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron had a feud that made the atmosphere on set incredibly tense. The production spent months in the Namibian desert dealing with extreme heat and isolation. George Miller shot hundreds of hours of footage without a traditional script. The logistical challenges of the practical stunts pushed the stunt team to their absolute limits.

‘The Revenant’ (2015)

Alejandro González Iñárritu insisted on shooting only with natural light in remote frozen locations. Leonardo DiCaprio ate raw bison liver and slept inside an animal carcass for the role. Crew members quit due to the harsh conditions and the uncompromising demands of the director. The production fell behind schedule and the budget ballooned as the snow melted.

‘World War Z’ (2013)

The entire third act of the film was rewritten and reshot after the initial cut was deemed unsatisfactory. A massive battle sequence in Russia was completely discarded in favor of a suspenseful ending. Damon Lindelof was brought in to salvage the script while the release date was pushed back. The production was plagued by reports of a lack of leadership and spiraling costs.

‘Fantastic Four’ (2015)

Director Josh Trank allegedly isolated himself in a tent and refused to communicate with the crew. The studio was unhappy with the dark tone and ordered extensive reshoots without the director. Producers locked Trank out of the editing room to assemble their own version of the film. Trank tweeted his dissatisfaction with the final product just days before the premiere.

‘Justice League’ (2017)

Zack Snyder stepped away from the production due to a family tragedy. Joss Whedon was hired to oversee reshoots that significantly altered the tone of the movie. Henry Cavill had to film scenes with a mustache that was later removed digitally with poor results. The clash of styles resulted in a disjointed film that satisfied very few fans.

‘Suicide Squad’ (2016)

Jared Leto sent bizarre gifts like live rats and dead pigs to his co-stars. The studio panicked after the reception of a previous film and ordered multiple different edits. Trailer park companies were hired to recut the film to match the upbeat tone of the advertising. The resulting movie was a tonal mess that showed clear signs of studio interference.

‘Don’t Worry Darling’ (2022)

Rumors of a feud between director Olivia Wilde and star Florence Pugh dominated the press tour. Shia LaBeouf leaked a video contradicting the claim that he was fired from the project. The cast appeared visibly uncomfortable during the premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Internet speculation about the on-set drama completely overshadowed the release of the film.

‘The Man Who Killed Don Quixote’ (2018)

Terry Gilliam tried to make this film for nearly thirty years before finally succeeding. The original production was washed away by a flood and cancelled due to lead actor Jean Rochefort’s injury. Legal battles over the rights to the film persisted even after the movie was finally completed. It stands as one of the most famous examples of development hell in history.

‘Superman II’ (1980)

Director Richard Donner was fired after completing most of the film due to disputes with producers. Richard Lester was hired to finish the movie and reshot significant portions to get a directing credit. Gene Hackman refused to return for the reshoots and was replaced by a body double. Marlon Brando sued the producers and his scenes were cut from the theatrical release.

‘The Emperor’s New Groove’ (2000)

The film started as a dramatic musical called Kingdom of the Sun directed by Roger Allers. Sting wrote several songs that were cut when the story was completely overhauled. The production was so troubled that a documentary crew captured the entire meltdown. It eventually morphed into a buddy comedy with a fraction of the original budget.

‘Toy Story 2’ (1999)

An animator accidentally entered a command that deleted the entire movie from the studio servers. The backup system failed and the team thought the film was lost forever. Galyn Susman saved the project because she had a copy on her home computer for remote work. The team then crunched for months to redo the film after the story was rebooted.

‘Shrek’ (2001)

Chris Farley recorded nearly all of the dialogue for the main character before his death. Mike Myers was brought in to replace him and insisted on re-recording the entire film with a Scottish accent. This decision cost the studio millions of dollars and added months to the production schedule. The animators had to re-animate the lip sync to match the new voice performance.

‘Furious 7’ (2015)

Paul Walker died in a car accident halfway through the production of the film. The writers had to completely restructure the story to retire his character respectfully. His brothers were used as stand-ins and digital face replacement was utilized for the final scenes. The production shut down for months while the cast and crew processed the tragedy.

‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus’ (2009)

Heath Ledger died in the middle of filming before his work on the project was complete. Director Terry Gilliam recruited Johnny Depp and Jude Law and Colin Farrell to play variations of the character. The script was rewritten to incorporate the actor changes as magical transformations within the story. The actors donated their salaries to Ledger’s daughter to ensure her financial security.

‘Game of Death’ (1978)

Bruce Lee died before he could finish filming the movie he had written and directed. Producers used cardboard cutouts and body doubles to patch together a feature film. Footage from Lee’s real funeral was strangely included in the final cut of the movie. The result was a disjointed film that bore little resemblance to the original vision.

‘The Room’ (2003)

Tommy Wiseau spent millions of dollars on a production that made no logical sense to the crew. He bought both film and digital cameras and shot with them simultaneously on a custom mount. Cast members were fired or quit and the script was changed constantly during the shoot. The chaotic environment resulted in a film that became a cult classic for its ineptitude.

‘Troll 2’ (1990)

The Italian crew spoke almost no English and could not communicate with the American actors. The script was written in broken English and the actors were told to read it exactly as written. The actors were non-professionals who were cast primarily because they lived near the filming location. Costumes consisted of burlap sacks and cheap rubber masks that looked nothing like trolls.

‘Cannibal Holocaust’ (1980)

The director was charged with murder because the authorities believed the actors had actually been killed. He had to bring the cast to court to prove they were still alive and well. The production involved the real slaughter of animals which caused significant controversy. The film was banned in multiple countries due to its graphic content and production methods.

‘Three Kings’ (1999)

George Clooney and director David O. Russell got into a physical fistfight on the set. The director was known for screaming at crew members and creating a hostile work environment. Clooney wrote a letter criticizing the director’s behavior and the tension never resolved. The movie was completed despite the lead actor and director refusing to speak to each other.

‘Super Mario Bros.’ (1993)

The script was rewritten so many times that the actors stopped bothering to learn their lines. Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo drank alcohol between takes to cope with the disastrous production. The directors poured hot coffee on an extra to make a scene look more realistic. The resulting film was a critical failure that deviated wildly from the source material.

‘Street Fighter’ (1994)

Jean-Claude Van Damme was battling a severe cocaine addiction during the filming. The director had to shoot around the star who was often late or unable to perform. The filming took place in Thailand during a rumored coup attempt which added to the stress. The budget was blown on the star’s salary leaving little for effects or costumes.

‘Chaos Walking’ (2021)

The initial cut of the film was deemed unreleasable by the studio executives. Massive reshoots were ordered but were delayed for years due to the busy schedules of the stars. The film sat on the shelf for a long time while the story was reworked. When it was finally released it received poor reviews and lost a significant amount of money.

‘The New Mutants’ (2020)

The film was delayed for years due to the studio merger between Fox and Disney. Planned reshoots to add new characters and change the tone never actually happened. The director was told to make a horror movie and then told to tone it down. It was released quietly during the pandemic after years of uncertainty about its fate.

‘Dolittle’ (2020)

The production was a chaotic mess that required extensive reshoots and a new director. Stephen Gaghan was essentially replaced during post-production to try and fix the film. The budget ballooned to nearly two hundred million dollars due to the problems. Robert Downey Jr.’s decision to use a Welsh accent was widely criticized and added to the confusion.

‘Rust’ (2024)

A prop gun held by Alec Baldwin discharged a live round that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The production was immediately halted and multiple lawsuits and criminal charges were filed. Concerns about safety protocols and low budget conditions were raised prior to the accident. The film was eventually completed years later as a way to honor the late cinematographer.

‘Megalopolis’ (2024)

Francis Ford Coppola sold a significant portion of his wine empire to self-finance the massive budget. Reports surfaced of a chaotic set where the director spent hours in his trailer smoking marijuana. The visual effects team was fired or quit during the production due to the lack of direction. The film polarized critics and audiences after decades of anticipation.

‘Cleopatra’ (1963)

The production nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox due to massive cost overruns. Elizabeth Taylor became ill and the production had to move from London to Rome. The affair between Taylor and Richard Burton caused a media frenzy that distracted from the film. Sets were built and torn down without being used as the script changed constantly.

‘Heaven’s Gate’ (1980)

Michael Cimino spent days waiting for the right cloud formations before shooting simple scenes. The director demanded that sets be torn down and rebuilt to change the spacing between buildings. The film ran significantly over budget and became a legendary box office bomb. The failure of the movie effectively ended the era of the director-driven studio system.

‘American History X’ (1998)

Director Tony Kaye tried to have his name removed from the film after losing creative control. Edward Norton re-edited the film with the studio to shape his own performance. Kaye took out full page ads in trade magazines attacking the actor and the studio. The director brought a priest, a rabbi, and a monk to a meeting with executives.

‘Jaws’ (1975)

The mechanical shark rarely worked and forced Steven Spielberg to hide the monster for most of the film. The production went way over budget and schedule while shooting on the open ocean. Boats sank and camera equipment was destroyed by the corrosive salt water. The crew named the shark Bruce after Spielberg’s lawyer.

‘Psycho’ (1960)

Alfred Hitchcock deferred his salary and filmed in black and white to keep costs low. He bought every copy of the novel he could find to keep the ending a secret. A body double was used for the shower scene because the star was not available for the whole shoot. The director tested the fear factor of the corpse prop by hiding it in a dressing room.

‘Rosemary’s Baby’ (1968)

Mia Farrow received divorce papers from Frank Sinatra on the set of the film. She ate raw liver for a scene despite being a committed vegetarian. The producer William Castle suffered kidney failure and believed the film was cursed. The spooky atmosphere on set translated into one of the most iconic horror films ever made.

‘Eraserhead’ (1977)

David Lynch spent five years making the film while delivering newspapers to fund it. Jack Nance kept his hair in the same bizarre style for the entire duration of the shoot. The director lived on the set and built most of the props himself. A scene involving a dead cat was allegedly created using a real veterinary specimen.

Tell us which of these behind-the-scenes disasters shocked you the most in the comments.