Army of Darkness
Sam Raimi ’s thirdEvil Deadfilm , Army of Darkness , saw its theatrical passing delayed due to an unlikely defendant : cannibal killer Hannibal Lecter . Ash Williams ( played byBruce Campbell ) , the narcissistic but surprisingly competent demon - slaying hero sandwich of theEvil Deadfranchise , is a certified horror icon . The same can be say for Dr. Hannibal Lecter , as played by several actors , but most notably in three films by Anthony Hopkins . Despite their iconic condition though , one would never require the two characters to cross paths .
While that did n’t happen , at least not exactly , Hollywood ’s bodied forces sometimes behave in unknown fashion . Case in item , sometimes producer and rights holders diddle hardball over command of a potential flick project , and sometimes that leads to other project abide as a result . It ’s not fair , and it ’s probably not right , but Hollywood is a business above all else , even if the artistic creation they at long last produce helps power the mainstream of pop acculturation .
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In the case ofSam Raimi’sArmy of Darkness , the film ’s outlet ended up being greatly delayed due to a corporate conflict between two studios , all go around around Hannibal " The Cannibal " Lecter . Not so bully .
How Army Of Darkness Got Delayed By Hannibal Lecter
Army of Darknesswas produced by Dino De Laurentiis Communications , as well as Sam Raimi ’s own Renaissance Pictures company . Veteran producer De Laurentiis allow Raimi and crew to make the film they wanted to make , but once things got to the post - production stage , distributer Universal Pictures got much more hands - on . The studio did n’t likeRaimi ’s original downbeat finish , and demand a happier one be shot . They also insist on more reshoots later . At a certain percentage point , Raimi needed more money to fill out the cinema , about $ 3 million worth .
This is where things got stupid . Universal was presently in a difference with De Laurentiis over the right to the Hannibal Lecter eccentric , as they wanted to make a sequel toThe quiet of the Lambs , which had won lots of Oscars and become a smash-up hit . De Laurentiis had controlled the plastic film rights to Lecter since 1986’sManhunter , and had made the not too financially shining decision to permit Orion Pictures utilise the character for free when makingSilence of the Lambs , and not be at all involved in the production . Now that Lecter was a cash moo-cow , De Laurentiis was n’t going to make that mistake again .
Universal wanted the rights to useHannibal Lecter , and Dino De Laurentiis want fate of money for those rights . As a result , Universal refused to give Raimi the money he needed to finishArmy of Darknessuntil De Laurentiis came to terms with them on Hannibal . This causedArmy of Darkness’release engagement to be delayed from summertime 1992 all the style to February 1993 , while this unrelated squabble was worked out . Releasing in February , the motion-picture show was a box office dud , and while it ’s not certain Raimi ’s threequel would ’ve fared well in the summertime , we can never cognise for sure . Universal finally did raise a Hannibal Lecter sequel , but not until nearly a decade later , in 2001 .
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