The Crowded Room, a limited series produced by Oscar winner Akiva Goldsman is debuting on Apple TV+ on Friday, June 9. The ensemble cast is led by Amanda Seyfried, Emmy Rossum, and Tom Holland, who also serves as executive producer. The upcoming thriller follows Danny Sullivan (Holland), a man who was detained after being involved in a shooting in New York City in 1979.
Fans all across the globe have their eyes on Holland’s performance in this series but did you know this isn’t the first time the story of The Crowded Room has caught the attention of the Hollywood filmmakers? James Cameron had reportedly attempted to develop it as a feature film in the ‘90s but failed due to various arguments with his then-partner.
James Cameron wanted to cast John Cusack in his adaptation of the story
James Cameron expressed interest in The Crowded Room after 1991’s Terminator 2 and wanted to adapt The Crowded Room into a feature film. The filmmaker explained how he even had the screenplay ready and was ready to go to shoot but his plans failed. Cameron disclosed how he had decided to cast the 2012 star John Cusack in his feature film but owing to several arguments between him and his then-partner, the project never became a reality. Cameron said,
“I entered an arrangement with a partner. We had joint control of the material. This partner turned out to be someone I couldn’t work with and who felt that they couldn’t work with me. We parted ways. A script had been written, we’d cast John Cusack to play the guy, and I was in pre-production. I was ready to go shoot… I will say that I believe this person behaved very unprofessionally.
Cameron also revealed how during this time he met Billy Milligan, whose true story serves as an inspiration to The Crowded Room. Milligan also got involved in the mess and filed lawsuits while turning everything more chaotic and as Cameron claims “contributed to the downfall of the project” with the filmmaker. Cameron then did not feel like telling his story anymore and hence dropped the project.
Read more: James Cameron Becomes the First Director Ever to Have 3 Films Gross Over $1.5 Billion Worldwide
Tom Holland reveals his experience of having to play Danny Sullivan
After James Cameron decided to leave the story of Danny Sullivan, Tom Holland, along with his team, is bringing the story to the big screens. Holland discussed with Entertainment Weekley, what he had gone through as an actor and how playing his character caused a bit of a psychological spin-out. He said,
“I was seeing myself in [the character], but in my personal life. I remember having a bit of a meltdown at home and thinking, like, ‘I’m going to shave my head. I need to shave my head because I need to get rid of this character.’ And, obviously, we were mid-shooting, so I decided not to … It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.”
After the incident, Holland had a different understanding of his own mental health. His experience with the doctors made him aware of stressors in his life, such as social media, to which I believe we can all relate. After seeing the series, Holland expressed to Entertainment Weekly his hope that viewers will feel educated about the powers of mental health, the struggles, and our “incredible abilities to survive.”
Source: Twitter
