News culture Steven Spielberg could have directed this Tim Burton film: this timeless classic which was a failure at the cinema is available on Amazon

Culture news Steven Spielberg could have directed this Tim Burton film: this timeless classic which was a failure at the cinema is available on Amazon

Steven Spielberg and Tim Burton

Steven Spielberg and Tim Burtonalthough very different in their cinematic approach, have each left an indelible mark on the film industry, especially when Burton appeared on the scene in the 1980s. Spielberg, known for films that feature welcoming, cozy suburbs under threat by outside forces, had already explored horror themes with films like Poltergeist and Gremlins. In contrast, Burton often presented disconcerting suburbs where outsiders, like Pee-wee Herman and Edward Scissorhands, struggle to find their place. And despite opposing visions, a certain complementarity could have pushed Spielberg to make this Burton classic.

Spielberg and Big Fish

Despite these stylistic differences, the two directors share similar personal experiences, having both had complicated relationships with their fathers. Spielberg, whose father was absent after his parents’ divorce, translated his pain into his films, as very recently with The Fabelmans.

In the late 1990s, he even dedicated Saving Private Ryan to his father, a World War II veteran. However, did you know that he could have achieved Big Fishwhich perfectly relates the theme of paternal love that the filmmaker was looking for? If you’re not familiar with it, Big Fish, under Burton’s direction, chronicles the relationship between Edward Bloom (Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney), a storyteller father with fantastical tales, and his son, Will Bloom (Billy Crudup), who searches for to know the truth behind his father’s exaggerated stories. However, under Spielberg, the outcome could have been different.

According to Burton on Burton (edited by Mark Salisbury), John August, the screenwriter of Big Fish, worked for about a year on several versions of the script for Steven Spielberg, who was originally set to direct the film in 2000 after reading the first draft. However, Spielberg was never completely satisfied and ultimately decided to leave the project.

August then created a “Best Of” version, incorporating some elements from the previous versions while removing others, which also led to the abandonment of several additions requested by Spielberg. However, some of these elements, such as a scene with menacing trees, were retained and later managed to appeal to Burton. Ultimately, we will never really know what Big Fish would have looked like with Spielberg’s touch, but testimonies explain that the filmmaker wanted cast Jack Nicholson as Edward Bloom old, therefore in place of Albert Finney. The actor could have even been rejuvenated to also play the role that Ewan McGregor got, but that story never made it past the stage “fun discussions”.