Altman May Take His Name Off Film

Veteran director Robert Altman is threatening to remove his name from his latest film, “The Gingerbread Man”--a dark thriller based on a John Grisham original screenplay--in a dispute with Polygram Pictures.

The studio says it brought in an editor to recut the $25-million film, which stars Kenneth Branagh, Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall, after four disappointing test screenings. Sources at Polygram said the studio had told Altman what needed to be fixed and asked him to make the changes. When his final version still didn’t meet studio expectations, sources said, Altman met with studio chiefs and accepted their decision to re-edit it in “a handshake agreement.”

But the 72-year-old director has told associates that studio executives told him they were pleased with his version, and that he intends to petition the Directors Guild to have his name removed from “The Gingerbread Man” if the film is recut.

“He said this is the worst thing that has happened to him and it was so unforeseen,” said Janet (J.R.) Rich, a record company executive and Altman associate. “He said they loved the picture. After they saw it, [studio executives] told him, ‘Take the [company] jet to Europe.’ ”

As is often the case in Hollywood, none of the principals would talk on the record, but some were willing to sling anonymous arrows.

“This is no $3-million picture,” said a source close to the studio. “The picture does not test as well as it should. . . . He was responsible for turning out a commercial movie. He came to us. He wanted to do the project.”

The source said that the studio is paying Altman $4 million for directing the thriller, and that it was customary for a studio to “offer suggestions during the filmmaking process and usually filmmakers will discuss them and try them.”

While making 34 films--some of which are widely considered as among the best of American cinema--Altman has cemented his reputation as a renegade director who likes to take on the Hollywood establishment.

In 1995 Altman sued Miramax Films over “Ready to Wear,” a comical look at the fashion industry, charging that Miramax had withheld $1 million that it owed the director for his fee. Altman and Miramax had also disagreed on how much the picture made, which would dictate exactly how much he was owed. Altman also sued Fine Line Features over on a similar dispute surrounding “Short Cuts,” a film he directed in 1993. Last year he again locked horns with Fine Line, accusing it of not promoting his last feature “Kansas City” for Oscar consideration.

From the start, Altman was an unlikely choice for “The Gingerbread Man.” Although he has had some hits among his long list of critical favorites--notably “Nashville,” “MASH” and “The Player”--he is known more for making iconoclastic, non-mainstream films rather than the kind of taut, formulaic movies that are the trademark of Grisham vehicles.

“I’m sure at the back of everyone’s mind they were aware of [his reputation for battling with studios],” said the studio source. “We got what we asked for. . . . He said the movie would be an hour and 40 minutes, it would be taut and fast-paced. He is a talent to be respected and he has made some incredibly wonderful pictures, but he was not hired to make ‘Short Cuts,’ ” a cinematic kaleidoscope that interweaved characters from a number of Raymond Carver short stories.

Polygram complained that Altman’s final cut (at 109 minutes) was too long, didn’t build a sufficient sense of tension and had a musical score that was too minimalist and electronic. They said the filmmaker was given several chances to make the recommended changes. Test screenings were held in Woodland Hills and Los Angeles.

Rich said Altman told her the results were mostly in the middle to good range, with few marking the film either “poor” or “excellent.”

Altman screened his final cut Tuesday night in New York for some 50 industry insiders, telling the audience that it might be the last time anyone saw his version of the film since he had been fired.

The movie is scheduled to open Oct. 3 and the re-cut version will be ready within the next two weeks, according to studio sources.