Unfinished film abandoned by its director 7 years ago re-edited back to life, set for release
It was one of the most infamous production disasters in recent Hollywood history: Way back in 2008, Nailed, director David O. Russell’s planned follow-up to I Heart Huckabees, a political satire with a screenplay by Kristen Gore (daughter of Al Gore) was so plagued by funding problems, actor walk-offs and multiple shutdowns that a theatrical employees union ultimately closed the entire production down.
Russell ultimately abandoned the incomplete project altogether; despite having shot a good deal of footage and the presence of then-hot/rising stars like Jessica Biel, Jake Gyllenhaal, James Marsden and Tracy Morgan.
Producers who invested in the film, however, were still seeking a return on their investment; and have apparently spent the intervening 7 years stitching the remnants of Russell’s footage back together into something resembling a releasable film. A trailer, poster and release date for the resulting creation, now-retitled Accidental Love, unexpectedly appeared online today.
The film (now credited to director “Stephen Greene”) is about a diner waitress (Biel) who becomes afflicted with erratic, unpredictable behavior – including an out-of-control sex drive – after an accident lodges a nail in her brain which cannot be removed because she lacks health insurance. She becomes an activist for health care reform, ultimately causing a love triangle between herself, her former fiancee (Marsden) and a Congressman (Gyllenhaal).
David O. Russell has not yet commented on the repurposing of his footage.
Source: The Film Stage
