Controversy and Hollywood have always gone hand in hand — many films have sparked public outrage and ignited heated debates. Some, however, took a step further, actually altering their content in response to ongoing discourse or simply because it was the right call.
From the radical character redesign of Sonic the Hedgehog to the politically motivated edits like in The Interview that mirror actual real-world tension, Hollywood has shown it is often willing to bend in the face of public pressure. We take a look back at some films that were changed because of controversy, before or after their theatrical release, exploring what prompted the changes and how the films emerged on the other side.
8
‘Bird Box’ (2018)
This Netflix original has captured the attention of many following its release, achieving immediate popularity and breaking viewership records for the platform at the time (its opening was cited as the best opening week for any Netflix original film at the time). Starring Sandra Bullock in the lead role, the psychological post-apocalyptic horror-thriller follows Malorie Hayes as she tries to protect herself and two children from entities that cause people who look at them to take their own lives.
In Bird Box, Bullock’s character watches a news coverage with a brief clip of a train wreck identified as the Lac-Mégantic, which crashed in 2013 in Quebec and killed 47 people. Following backlash from Canadian officials and public outrage, Netflix edited the scene despite initially resisting doing so, eventually changing it to footage from an American TV show.
7
‘Slender Man’ (2018)
Sylvain White‘s supernatural horror, based on the character of the same name, follows small-town best friends Hallie (Julia Goldani Telles), Chloe (Jaz Sinclair), Wren (Joey King), and Katie (Annalise Basso), who go online to try to conjure up a tall, thin, horrifying figure featured in urban legends spread throughout the Internet.
Despite being poorly received by critics and audiences alike, Slender Man was sitll a box office success. That said, multiple scenes were reportedly removed and cut down by the time it reached theaters. The film was originally intended to be much darker, but the studio altered its approach after facing criticism from the father of one of the girls involved in the 2014 Slender Man stabbing, who criticized the movie for “popularizing a tragedy.” In the end, many viewers found Slender Man disjointed and unresolved, lacking a coherent narrative that struggled to keep audiences engaged despite a few creepy moments and decent performances.
6
‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ (2020)
Sonic the Hedgehog was one of the most anticipated animated films of 2020, and given the titular character’s huge fandom, the excitement was easy to understand. The film ultimately became a critical and commercial success. However, its first trailer released in 2019 was met with intense backlash: Internet fans were not happy, quickly flooding the internet with criticism and arguing that “this does not look anything like Sonic.” The response was so strong that the character’s look was completely edited into the design that ultimately made it to the cut.
Paramount and director Jeff Fowler quickly promised that Sonic would undergo some kind of redesign 24 hours after putting the trailer out in the world. Scribes Josh Miller and Pat Casey revealed to Collider that the redesign did not affect other elements of the film, such as the script, and the footage remained intact. In the end, it did not affect the film as much as one would think, though it was a considerable effort. It stands as a recent example of a major studio altering a film almost immediately in response to popular discourse.
5
‘The Interview’ (2014)
It’s no surprise that The Interview was highly controversial before and after its release, in large part because of its provocative plot and the international tensions it sparked. The satirical comedy follows Dave Skylark (James Franco) and his producer Aaron Rapaport (Seth Rogen, who was a co-writer and director) as they run the celebrity tabloid show “Skylark Tonight.” When they land an interview with a surprise fan, North Korean dictator Jong-Un Kim (Randall Park), the CIA recruits them to assassinate him.
The Interview was edited to avoid North Korean controversy, which escalated in mid-2014 when North Korean officials publicly condemned the film and threatened “merciless” retaliation if the movie was released. Speculation mounted that North Korea may have had a hand in the Sony cyberattack — one that exposed emails and personal details about some of the biggest movie stars — that led the studio to initially cancel the film’s theatrical release.
4
‘Aladdin’ (1992)
Aladdin, a must-see Disney tale following a poor street urchin who spends his time stealing food from the marketplace until he meets a young girl and embarks on an adventure, remains one of the most beloved Disney animated pictures. Its live-action adaptation, which captured the attention of audiences of all ages, is proof. However, the original film sparked controversy for perpetuating Orientalist stereotypes of the Middle East and Asia, a discussion that’s still reverberating today, as reflected in its content advisory on Disney+.
One particularly controversial element was the lyricism of “Arabian Nights.” According to a 1993 Los Angeles Times article, in a “rare instance of a major studio changing a film after its release,” the Walt Disney Co. announced that two lines would be altered. The lyrics changed from “Where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face / It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home” to “Where it’s flat and immense, and the heat is intense / It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home.” Even with this revision, some viewers argued that it didn’t go far enough in addressing the film’s broader cultural stereotyping, as the word “barbaric” remained in the following verse.
3
‘The Brown Bunny’ (2003)
Starring Chloë Sevigny and Vincent Gallo — who also wrote and directed the film — this indie erotic road drama follows a grieving motorcycle racer driving from New Hampshire to California for a race. Haunted by the loss of his true love, Daisy, he engages in fleeting encounters with various women, desperately trying to escape his grief and heartache.
The film sparked major controversy upon its premiere at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival — Roger Ebert literally walked out of the theater and described it as “the worst film in the history of Cannes” — so it’s fairly safe to say that The Brown Bunny remains one of the most controversial films to premiere at the renowned event. The film was re-edited for subsequent releases, with the US theatrical version cut by approximately 25 minutes, including parts of the opening race and other sequences. That said, the infamous sexually explicit scene — the main source of its Cannes backlash — remained intact.
2
‘Army of the Dead’ (2021)
Zack Snyder‘s polarizing Netflix zombie-heist film Army of the Dead divided audiences, earning praise for its action while simultaneously drawing criticism for its dry plot, uneven pacing, and bold cinematography. The story follows a group of mercenaries who plan a Las Vegas casino heist during a zombie apocalypse.
After filming, Chris D’Elia — originally cast as a helicopter pilot — was replaced by Tig Notaro following sexual misconduct charges. In an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment, Notaro joked: “It was a joy to do what I did, but I would love to be in the next movie that I do.” Because principal photography had wrapped, many of the scenes were digitally altered to remove D’Elia and replace him with Notaro. When asked about it, Snyder noted that erasing Chris D’Elia was a fairly easy choice, but it was nonetheless costly and technically complicated.
1
‘All the Money in the World’ (2017)
Ridley Scott‘s crime drama based on the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III earned significant acclaim for its strong performances and tense direction. The film also inevitably drew intense attention when Kevin Spacey, originally cast as J. Paul Getty, was replaced by Christopher Plummer following sexual misconduct allegations.
Spacey was removed from his film just a month before its scheduled release, leading to the cancellation of the AFI Fest in November. In a race against time, Scott reportedly gathered the cast and crew to re-shoot 22 scenes in nine days, a team effort which ultimately saved the film. The decision was made right away, as the director himself revealed: “In a heartbeat—took about 20 minutes. Because I can’t let one person’s actions affect the film to the extent that we may not have actually released it. I couldn’t let that happen.”
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