It has been three days since an uncompleted version of X-Men Origins: Wolverine was leaked onto the internet by someone who now has the FBI hunting them down like the scum they are. (I’m sure they haven’t been sleeping very well. The guy who leaked The Hulk apparently got around 7 years in jail). In that time we have had a statement from 20th Century Fox on the matter, and now Fox Entertainment Co-Chairman Tom Rothman has spoken out about the leak. From Entertainment Weekly:
“The version that went out is unfinished. It’s about 10 minutes shorter, doesn’t have key scenes, it wasn’t edited, and none of the effects shots were in any remotely final form,” Rothman tells EW. “It’s a complete misrepresentation of the film and is deeply unfair to the people who have worked on it for years.”
“The picture is not the kind of movie people get the whole experience of by watching on their computer. But other than The Hulk, I don’t think a movie with this kind of anticipation has been stolen. And it’s also a big deal because of how early it is.” Meaning, there’s a whole month before the movie is in theaters, and that gives fans a long time to get their fill of X-Men and move on.
Rothman is touting a bunch of footage shot in Canada earlier this year that he says is not even included in the version online. And he insists that both he and Hugh Jackman have vowed to stop at nothing to get the movie out to as many fans as possible. “Hugh was heartbroken and hurt when he found out. He’s lived with this thing for 10 years. But he’s also a man and knows that life isn’t fair, and is more determined than ever,” Rothman says. “Hugh and I exchanged e-mails: Basically, we’re not going to let the bastards win. But we didn’t use the word ‘bastards.’ That’s a slightly sanitized version.”
Whether you are a fan of Fox and Rothman or not, no studio deserves to have their movie leaked to the masses when people have been working on it for the past two years. It is too early to say what impact this will have on the box office. I suspect the majority of people who have downloaded the leak are either X-Men fans or people who download movies on a regular basis. The fans will go and see it on the big screen regardless (most likely multiple times), and those who download often probably wouldn’t have paid to see it anyway. I think this leak will have little impact on the average moviegoer, who will probably see it based on the trailers and/or their familiarity with the X-Men franchise. Whatever happens, Fox will probably be ploughing more effort into marketing than previously planned as the release date nears.
In other Wolverine news, director Gavin Hood spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about rumors regarding on-set clashes between him and Tom Rothman. He says that while they did had disagreements, it never came to full blown arguments and the differences were settled with ‘dignity and sincerity’. Watch below:
I suspect this was filmed before the leak, which is probably why there is no mention of it. Like Hugh, i’m sure Gavin Hood was angry and disappointed about the leak. Directors await the day that their movie will be released to the public and everyone can be entertained and give their opinion on it (whether it be good or bad). It is a huge shame someone had go and ruin it!
