Universal’s Battleship movie has been raising a few industry eyebrows this week as it is expected to cost in excess of 0 million to make.
The studio doesn’t seem to be taking any of the usual measures to counteract the cost, this not being a sequel or having any big names attached to star. The film, very loosely based on the Hasbro boardgame, is beginning to look slightly out of its depth (Pearl Harbor only cost 0 million, starred Ben Affleck and was directed by MICHAEL BAY).
“It’s a big bet like many, many big bets from many studios,” Universal chairman Adam Fogelson noted when speaking to THR. “We will be nowhere near the high point and nowhere near the low point of what people are spending.”
Originally a strategy game the movie adaptation, scheduled to start filming in Hawaii in under a fortnight, has become a movie about an alien invasion at sea. Set to be directed by Peter Berg, the man behind 2008’s Hancock, the potential jeopardy brought on by the large budget has been underplayed by the studio. Fogelson in particularly seems unconcerned by the directors apparent lack of experience in the action genre.
“[Berg] has a very strong passion and affinity for this material, he is a fan of the history and the current state of the military. He knows that world really, really well, and he is inspirational when he is talking about it,” assured Fogelson, “He made ‘Hancock,’ so Will Smith thought he was a good choice for an effects-driven spectacle that cost a lot of money.”
Nevertheless, Hancock cost less to make and had Will Smith fronting the project. The question remains, will you be paying for a ticket to Battleship when it’s released in 2012? Or would you rather just order the aliens-free game from eBay?
