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WATERWORLD – James Newton Howard
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
For many years in Hollywood Waterworld – the title of Kevin Costner’s 1995 action-adventure movie – was a byword for financial disaster in moviemaking. Originally conceived by screenwriter Peter Rader in the mid-1980s as a low budget ‘Mad Max on water’ the script was eventually rewritten by David Twohy, whose version leaned heavily into the post-apocalyptic sci-fi genre. Costner, then at the height of his fame following hits like Dances with Wolves and The Bodyguard, signed on to produce and star, and he recruited Kevin Reynolds, who directed him in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, to helm the film. However, what started as a modestly budgeted film ballooned into a then-record-breaking $175 million production, eventually earning it the industry nicknames “Fishtar” and “Kevin’s Gate,” after notorious flops Ishtar and Heaven’s Gate. The production was plagued by logistical challenges, including destroyed sets, weather delays, crew injuries, and creative clashes between Costner and Reynolds, who eventually left the project entirely during post-production, leaving Costner to oversee the final edit. Read more…
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