THE WICKER MAN - LABUTE SCRAPPED WICKER MAN PREVIEWS TO KEEP TWISTS SECRET

LABUTE SCRAPPED WICKER MAN PREVIEWS TO KEEP TWISTS SECRET

Movie maker NEIL LaBUTE insisted studio bosses pull previews of his new film, a remake of classic thriller THE WICKER MAN, because he feared journalists would spoil his carefully planned surprises. THE SHAPE OF THINGS director feared movie reviewers would spoil twists in his take on the 1972 British film for fans of the original. He insists the decision wasn't made because the film isn't particularly good - the normal reason behind executive decisions to pull review screenings. He says, "There has been a lot of talk about that (decision) as a whole. If you make that choice, it's still early enough in the transition to be thought of as, there must be something wrong with the movie. "But for us I think the gamble was, people don't really know the movie in the States, and I've made changes to it that people who know it won't expect, hopefully. "I would rather keep those as quiet as possible for as long as possible."