There are tons of full-length documentaries that chronicle the behind-the-scenes events of popular movies. The most famous of all of them is Hearts of Darkness, which follows Francis Ford Coppola as he makes Apocalypse Now. It’s one of the rare cases where the documentary is as great as the movie it’s based on, as it shows the drama and off-the-wall anarchy that was going on between the crew and filmmakers.
According to Reddit, other movies deserve the same treatment. Whether it’s because of the rumored on-set drama or because of how much the movie advanced the industry, these movies’ productions are more interesting than the movies themselves.
Alien 3 (1992)
Alien 3 is easily director David Fincher’s worst movie and, interestingly, nobody hates the movie more than the celebrated thriller auteur. For a directorial debut, Fincher learned the hard way about how much of a struggle it was to battle the studio system, especially when it comes to directing blockbuster movies that are part of a franchise.
Distant_Pilgrim hints at what happened behind the scenes when it comes to the movie’s production, saying, “let’s just say David Fincher’s feature film directorial debut didn’t go very smoothly.” And because of the apparent war between Fincher and 20th Century Fox, the Redditor wants to see a making-of documentary of the movie.
Three Kings (1999)
JudoChop2021 wants to see a making-of documentary of the war dramedy because “Clooney got physical with the director.” What the Redditor is referring to is the onset drama between George Clooney and director David O. Russell.
For as cool as the seasoned actor is, he momentarily lost his cool on Three Kings. According to The Telegraph, Clooney got so sick of the director and locked horns with him so much that the actor punched the director in the face. And Clooney has since called O. Russell “insane to the point of stupidity.”
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Machomanrandalthor thinks that a making-of doc of Solo: A Star Wars Story “would be fascinating.” It has been well documented how much of a struggle the production of the 2018 prequel was. According to The Telegraph, there were early reports that Alden Ehrenreich, who was cast as a young Han Solo, was coming off like an Ace Ventura-type character.
Eventually, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were fired from the project and replaced by Ron Howard. And because of all the on-set problems, it, unfortunately, damaged the quality of the movie. However, there aren’t many other details about what happened behind the scenes, which is why fans want a documentary.
Avatar 2 (2022)
Interestingly, Avatar 2 isn’t even out yet, so a making-of documentary is a bit premature. However, it has been in the making for over 10 years, so there must be enough behind-the-scenes footage for there to be a whole series. Naynaythewonderhorse wants a making-of doc more than anybody else, claiming that it “will probably be better, in some ways, than the film itself.”
As Avatar 2 is one of the most anticipated sci-fi movies of 2022 and its predecessor is the highest-grossing movie of all time, a documentary could be fantastic. But it’d probably be more interesting for chronicling advancements in the movie industry than for on-set drama.
Justice League (2017)
While Zack Snyder’s Justice League was a coarse correction for the DC Extended Universe and is full of great fan service scenes, the same can’t be said for the original version of the superhero team-up movie. DallyWack3r wants to see a Hearts of Darkness-like documentary chronicling the making of the seemingly cursed film.
The Redditor reckons that it’s “one of the few cape movies I can think of that has a whole Wikipedia article just about the production of the movie.” Between Zack Snyder leaving the project, and then Joss Whedon being hired to inject some Avengers-esq humor into the dour movie, there are so many behind-the-scenes upsets between Warner Bros. and everyone else included. And fans are eager to learn about it.
Strange Wilderness (2008)
Strange Wilderness was one of the biggest box office bombs of 2008, even despite being a Happy Madison production, which usually turns in smash hits, regardless of quality. And even with a massive cast of comedy actors, including Jonah Hill, the movie couldn’t find an audience, which is largely down to how badly received it was.
But despite being universally negatively received, Candycoatedmuffin3 still wants to see a documentary about the movie’s development. The Redditor explains that “the movie is garbage but apparently everyone working on it was having the time of their lives.”
Jurassic Park (1993)
Velsor thinks that it’d be great to see a documentary about the making of Jurassic Park, but it’d be more of a focus on Stephen Spielberg. The Redditor admits that they “don’t think anything particularly dramatic happened on set, but I think it would be interesting to have followed Spielberg when he was making Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List simultaneously.”
Spielberg is such a prolific filmmaker, and the best example of that was in 1993, when he made an exciting movie about dinosaurs and an emotionally exhausting war drama at the same time. Working to such great lengths would have surely taken its toll on the director, especially given that they are two of the greatest movies of all time.
The Shining (1980)
TheseNewPlastics wants to see a behind-the-scenes documentary about the iconic horror movie The Shining, which is another classic film that had a production as legendary as the movie itself. The Redditor mentions that Room 237 does exist, “which is about decoding the secret messages that Kubrick was hiding in the film.”
But while the film was interesting if a little farfetched, it wasn’t an actual making-of documentary. There are a few short behind-the-scenes clips that can be found on YouTube, which mostly see Kubrick tormenting Shelly Duvall. They give fans a glimpse of what was going on, but they’re such a tease, leaving audiences wanting a feature-length doc.
The Thin Red Line (1998)
The Thin Red Line is one of the most ambitious war movies ever made, as director Terrence Malick shot hundreds of hours’ worth of footage. He shot so much that the movie’s premise essentially completely changed in the editing room. For example, Adrien Brody was cast as the lead character, but in the final cut, he was only seen in a couple of short scenes.
It’s this very reason why Terrence Malick is his own worst enemy. And because of this, Killedbygavrilo wants a making-of documentary, “especially because of how crazy pre-production was.”
The Abyss (1989)
Avatar 2 isn’t the only James Cameron-directed movie that deserves its own making-of doc, as JC-Ice wants to see one of The Abyss too. Unlike Avatar 2, when it comes to the 1989 movie, there was a lot of well-documented on-set drama.
The Redditor hits every point that would make the documentary movie so interesting, such as “ballooning budgets, revolutionary special effects, multiple near-drownings, Ed Harris punching James Cameron.” According to SyFy, Harris apparently broke into uncontrollable sobbing whilst driving home from set and faced several near-death experiences.
