Hollywood Babble On & On #851: Is This Even Possible?

I guess the Mayans were right after all.

The world must be coming to an end because there are signs and portents in the winds.  Strange events and mysterious happenings are occurring all over the world. 

Hollywood's equivalent of the two headed goat is a report that Michael Bay, the master blaster of overwrought bombast, is directing a new crime movie for Paramount called Pain & Gain for only $25 million.

That's not Bay's salary, that's supposed to be the entire budget for the movie, which is slated to star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and Mark Wahlberg. It's based on an article that chronicled the true story of a group of bodybuilders who went on a violent crime spree in Miami.

Now I just have to ask this question:

IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE?

Now I have mixed feelings toward Michael Bay.  As a filmmaker he's not so much a storyteller than a composer of images for ad campaigns. His movies make my eyes bleed.  

 

However, I do respect Bay's status as the bug up Hollywood's ass.

He not only doesn't hold to the fashionable cultural and political shibboleths and prejudices of his show-biz colleagues, he actively opposes them in his films. 

His movies may insult your intelligence, but they're not going to insult you, or your beliefs, just so he could get invited to party with the cool kids.

The one thing I can't wrap my head around is him doing a movie, any movie for somewhere between 1/5 to 1/8 of what he normally works with.

I applaud him for wanting to try, and for him and his stars being willing to pass on their usual up front money for a piece of the back end.

How Hollywood normally treats money.

I just don't know if they can pull it off.  If you do too many films for serious mega-money, you can lose the ability to operate for amounts that are normally spent on a trailer capable of sheltering Will Smith's entourage.

Which is why I think every filmmaker, especially the ones known for making big blockbusters, should take a break. Not time off, but a break from the overflowing teat of other people's money, and make a film for a what would be considered a small budget by Hollywood standards.

It's a win-win for all involved. The producers get a film by a director with a track record at a low cost. The filmmaker gets to exercise creative muscles that can often become flabby when they have the option of just throwing money at the situation.

When those muscles get toned, they tend to get used on larger projects as well. This means the potential for saving money on the bigger projects.

So I wish Michael Bay luck with this, but I see the specter of massive budget overruns hanging over this project.