It sounds safe to assume thatThe Snowmanwill probably not be up to the same quality as directorTomas Alfredson’s previous two films,Tinker Tailor Soldier SpyandLet the Right One In. TheJo Nesboadaptation is intended to start aGirl with the Dragon Tattoo-esque franchise followingMichael Fassbender’s detective character Harry Hole, and at one pointMartin Scorsesewas attached to direct. But when Alfredson signed on, the director tellsNRK(viaThe Independent) the production wasveryrushed—to the point that they didn’t shoot 10% to 15% of the script:
“It happened very abruptly,” he said. “Suddenly we got notice that we had the money and could start the shoot in London.. Our shoot time in Norway was way too short. We didn’t get the whole story with us and when we started cutting we discovered that a lot was missing… It’s like when you’re making a big jigsaw puzzle and a few pieces are missing so you don’t see the whole picture.”
That is, uh, not ideal. Alfredson and the crew did go back for reshoots earlier this year, but either it sounds like they weren’t able to piece the whole thing together, or Alfredson is looking for an excuse as to why the film is being received so poorly by critics.
Either way, this is a bummer. Alfredson’s a talented filmmaker and the cast assembled forThe Snowmanis pretty terrific. This also marks 0 for 2 for Fassbender attempting to jump-start new franchises, asAssassin’s Creed—which the actornow admits was lacking—failed to spark the kind of box office that greenlights a sequel.
Regardless, I’m still kind of looking forward toThe Snowman. If anything it should be an interesting watch, and I’m curious to see what Alfredson settles on for his next project. Here’s hoping it’s not as long a wait as it was betweenTinker TailorandThe Snowman. The film hits U.S. theaters on Friday, October 20th.
