Watching accidents happen in movies can be an exhilarating ride of amusement. However, when those outtakes and mishaps materialize during actual filming, the situation takes on an entirely distinct nature. Steven Spielberg and Director John Landis encountered a situation where their worst nightmares became real.
As the cameras rolled and accident bombarded, their friendship took an unexpected twist. Laughs turned into sighs, and the director’s chair became a hot seat. It’s like the universe played its own prank, leaving the once-tight duo in disarray.
The Ill-Fated River Crossing Scene That Shook The World
Within the vast arcade of Hollywood’s history, there’s a shadowed chapter that still garners a sense of melancholy. The incident on July 23, 1982, during the production of The Twilight Zone, holds a unique place as one of the most heartstring-tugging accidents to have touched the entertainment world. It’s like a stark cautionary tale about the intersection of directorial self-assurance and the humbling aftermath that artistic bravado can unleash.
The movie adaptation of Twilight Zone, drawing inspiration from the beloved TV series, assembled a crew of seasoned filmmakers, among them co-director and producer Steven Spielberg, alongside the ill-fated director John Landis. One of the movie’s segments, which would later become tied to a heart-wrenching accident, centered on Vic Morrow, a skilled actor entrusted with portraying a b*got navigating through various eras of American history. In a pivotal moment of the story, where a helicopter and a river crossing came into play, a tragic disaster unfolded.
With the camera capturing the scene, Morrow’s character was meant to carry two young actors across the river, symbolizing a figurative voyage through time. Unfortunately, a chain of miscalculations and tragic oversights resulted in a helicopter crash, resulting in the devastating loss of Morrow and the two young actors. The entire industry was jolted by the news, confronted not just with the tragedy of three lives cut short, but also with the intricate web of legal and ethical consequences that inevitably followed.
The ‘Jail’ Moment: Steven Spielberg’s Turning Point with John Landis
Adding to the somber narrative was a haunting detail that came to light – the unsettling foreshadowing of the accident. Cynthia Nigh, a production assistant, shared a chilling recollection of a grimly ironic joke she had overheard from cinematographer Haskell Wexler:
“We’ll probably all be thrown in jail for this!”
Little did anyone know, this eerie remark carried an unintentional prophecy, anticipating the legal turmoil and public uproar that would engulf the filmmakers for years to come.
After the accident, there was a significant shift in the relationship between Steven Spielberg and John Landis. Once close friends and collaborators, Spielberg’s dissatisfaction with Landis’ excessive confidence and his risky approach to realizing his creative ideas created an irreparable divide. Spielberg, who had jointly produced the unfortunate film, chose to end his association with John Landis following the tragic incident. Spielberg’s emotional remark, “We’re all going to jail!” stands as an expression of his disbelief at the boldness that ultimately resulted in the devastating outcome.
Source: Looper
