Mike Myers on “unacceptable scripts”
I’m gonna have my review of The Love Guru for you shortly [it's here now], but while I finish up figuring out how best to excoriate one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen, I’d like you ponder this truth about Mike Myers, which Entertainment Weekly reported in 2000:
Universal is suing Mike Myers for allegedly ditching a contract to make the widely anticipated big screen spin-off of his ''Saturday Night Live'' German talk show host Dieter. A script was reportedly written that had Dieter searching for his lost monkey in L.A. Actors had already been cast for the film as well -- including, among others, David Hasselhoff, who was set to play an evil version of himself. Myers, who was slated for a $20 mil paycheck plus a percentage of the gross, expressed shock at the suit, saying that he had only wanted the production delayed. Universal claims he abandoned the project completely, and is seeking compensation for $3.8 mil in production costs it claims to have accrued after he committed to the deal in March. Myers said in a statement, ''I cannot in good conscience accept $20 million and cheat moviegoers who pay their hard-earned money to see my work by making a movie with an unacceptable script.''
Reread that quote from Myers: ''I cannot in good conscience accept $20 million and cheat moviegoers who pay their hard-earned money to see my work by making a movie with an unacceptable script.''
I wonder what happened to him between now and then to make him change his mind...
(Technorati tags: Mike Myers, Love Guru, Dieter)
comments
posted by Gail (Fri Jun 20 08, 3:17PM)
One of the worst movies you've ever seen? That's pretty bad, as you have seen more than the average person's share of spectacularly bad movies. I eagerly await the excoriation.
posted by FrankS (Sat Jun 21 08, 12:39AM)
You know, Mike came across as a pretty earnest guy in his interview on Shootout last weekend on AMC. He spoke about how seriously he took the responsibility of having the audience fork over lots of cash (tickets + food + drinks + parking + baby sitter) to sit and watch his movie. I actually went into the theater today hoping for something good.
Egads. My eyeballs got tired from all the eye-rolling bad gags that were in this suppposed "movie." Terrible, unless you're in the minuscule portion of the population that likes watching elephant porn. Thank god Get Smart was much better and helped to get the stain of Love Guru off of me.
posted by MBI (Sun Jun 22 08, 6:49PM)
I don't think this is evidence that Myers has turned his back on his high-minded ideals -- it's evidence that he has shit taste in movies. Even when he said that quote in '00, he was in transitioning the Austin Powers franchise from a celebration of '60s ideals into a foul series of dick and shit jokes.