In this exciting interview, producer John Aglialoro confuses burn rate with making sure the money is up there on the screen!
TA: Some people think there’s no way you can do Atlas Shrugged justice with a $5 to $10 million budget. What do you say to them?
Aglialoro: The full budget is actually much bigger. Remember that in August 1992 I had paid a million dollars or so to Leonard Peikoff for the movie rights. You do add the rights costs to the costs of the movie.
And then there were additional costs along the way. Jim Hart did a very nice script early on. He also wrote Hook and Contact. There were other versions of the script. And there were a lot of other development costs — meetings, travel, legal fees. Those costs since 1992 run between $10 and $15 million.
Ah yes, nothing like citing all the scripts you didn't use over twenty years to make a claim at a big-budget picture.
Meanwhile, here's a note from the genius screenwriter!
ÆtherCzar: What do you regard as the most significant difference between the story as told in Ayn Rand’s novel and your film version?
Brian O’Toole: Well, the film is shorter.
Heard it here first!
TA: Some people think there’s no way you can do Atlas Shrugged justice with a $5 to $10 million budget. What do you say to them?
Aglialoro: The full budget is actually much bigger. Remember that in August 1992 I had paid a million dollars or so to Leonard Peikoff for the movie rights. You do add the rights costs to the costs of the movie.
And then there were additional costs along the way. Jim Hart did a very nice script early on. He also wrote Hook and Contact. There were other versions of the script. And there were a lot of other development costs — meetings, travel, legal fees. Those costs since 1992 run between $10 and $15 million.
Ah yes, nothing like citing all the scripts you didn't use over twenty years to make a claim at a big-budget picture.
Meanwhile, here's a note from the genius screenwriter!
ÆtherCzar: What do you regard as the most significant difference between the story as told in Ayn Rand’s novel and your film version?
Brian O’Toole: Well, the film is shorter.
Heard it here first!