David O. Russell film to resume filming Wednesday
David O. Russell's political comedy "Nailed" will resume filming Wednesday thanks to a late-breaking financing deal with Comerica Bank and the film's financier, Capitol Films. Key cast members, including Jake Gyllenhaal, Jessica Biel and Catherine Keener, were en route to the South Carolina set Tuesday to begin shooting the next day.
But the ultimate future of the film from the economically troubled Capitol remains uncertain.
Sources say the Comerica financing, secured Monday, will help the film meet its projected $25 million budget and additional costs from a week of missed shooting days and union penalties. But some of the filmmakers aren't sure if the funds will last through postproduction.
Capitol's head of business affairs, Ray Reyes, said the company's fund deal with Comerica was based on "other guarantees" and was closed without a bond.
"We do plan on bonding the film, and actually there's work to be done on that, under a much more manageable scenario," Reyes said. "We can hopefully close the bond after we have completed principal photography and without the pressure of shutdowns hanging over our heads."
Reyes had hoped to close the deal with Comerica on May 27, so that filming could start up again May 29. But he said Monday that it had taken longer than expected to get the deal together. He declined to say how much the financing was for or what the projected budget now is for the film.
As of Monday, Reyes said, the film was funded, payroll companies received deposits and SAG, IATSE and the Teamsters members were in the clear to start back to work.
The shoot is set to end June 22 and, according to one of the producers, must finish by then to keep its principal cast members. "One more shutdown will kill the movie, not to mention cause hair loss and ulcers, and Capitol knows that," the exec said, adding that the production does not yet have all the financing to finish the film.
Reyes said there are two weeks left of filming in South Carolina before the production moves to Washington for a small amount of work.
Russell is known for creating a chaotic atmosphere to stir up creative juices on his sets, but the day-to-day uncertainty seems to have fulfilled this role without much effort on his part.
"Contrary to Internet rumors, David has been an absolute dream, literally the glue that's held the film together," said Persistent Entertainment's Matt Rhodes, who is producing the film with partner Judd Payne, Red Wagon Entertainment's Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher and Capitol's Kia Jam.
The production switched to a Thursday-Monday production schedule following the Memorial Day weekend holiday.
Gregg Goldstein reported from New York; Leslie Simmons reported from Los Angeles.
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