Jumper: New Samuel L. Jackson Film Illustrates the Costliness of Making Movies

Jumper, a movie slated for released in February 2008, is a film that deals with what is possible and what is next-to impossible. It reunites actors Hayden Christensen (Star Wars, Awake) and Samuel L. Jackson (Star Wars, Pulp Fiction), who are leaving their lightsabers in their holsters this time around and calling a truce. While the film appears to be spectacular, even being granted the privilege of being able to shoot scenes in the Coliseum, it's production is an example of how film budgeting can be a tricky business.

A Second Time Around

Even the best of films are sometimes beset with major difficulties. For example, when Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump, Beowulf) was finally given a chance to direct his first blockbuster hit, Back to The Future, he toiled away at the film until ultimately deciding to travel back in time and start the film's production all over again. Zemeckis had settled for actor Eric Stoltz in the role of Marty since Michael J. Fox was unavailable for the role. Disappointed with Stolz's work, however, Zemeckis begged Fox to reconsider. Fortunately, Fox found a way to manage the film into his schedule, and thus emerged a blockbuster.

Jump forward in time a couple of decades. On the set of Jumper, director Doug Liman (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, The Bourne Identity) was faced with a similar problem. Two of the film's leads needed to be rewritten, and furthermore recast. So, after two months of filming, Liman started filming new scenes with new actors from scratch.

Imagine going to work for two months, and then finding out that all of your hard work amounted to zilch.

A Life and Death Production

Even worse than receiving nothing, imagine that you had to give your life for your job.

This is exactly what Jumper's set decorator David Ritchie did on January 25th, 2007, when he was killed instantly by falling debris from an exterior set of the film. As the set was being torn down, sand and ice fell from the wall of the set killing Ritchie (New York Minute, The In-Laws, X-Men, The Family Man, The Corruptor and Simon Birch).

Staff Sgt. Joanne Verbeek of Toronto's 51 Division said, "It was just an unfortunate, fluke accident (Source: The Hollywood Reporter)."

The Coliseum

In addition to a top-notch cast, and riveting special effects, Jumper also boasts a cool surprise: It was the first major film to have ever been granted access to film inside of the Coliseum of Rome.

Such a nice set doesn't come without costs; filming inside the Coliseum could only take place during dawn or dusk, and one report even alleges that "no equipment could be placed on the ground."

The truth, it seems, is that while watching films can be fun and entertaining, making films can sometimes be everything but.

(Visit the terrific Jumper site, and watch the film's trailer, read mythology, and examine case history.)