Kevin Costner’s mega-project Waterworld was a legendary flop in 1995. But things wouldn’t have had to be so bad if the leading actor and his director had heeded some advice from Steven Spielberg. Today the sci-fi epic with western touches is on TV.
The story of Waterworld required an elaborate shoot
In a future in which the continents are covered by water, the last remnants of humanity fight for their survival on makeshift floating cities. The supposed salvation: a mythical place called Dryland. But no one knows where Dryland is.
Universal
Waterworld
Looking for clues, the villain Deacon (Dennis Hopper) attacks a town where Enola (Tina Majorino) lives with her adoptive mother Helen (Jeanne Tripplehorn). A stranger (Kevin Costner), known only as Mariner, becomes involved in the altercation. What secret does Enola hide?
For this dystopian future version of Earth, director Kevin Reynolds had to create a complex world that also relied on an element hated by filmmakers: water.
Steven Spielberg’s warning to Kevin Costner
Reynolds wanted to shoot the entire film on a real body of water to convey the harshness of the world to the cinema. Kevin Costner supported him as the film’s powerful star and producer. Where does Steven Spielberg come in?
Waterworld writer Peter Rader recalled a conversation the director had with Spielberg, Yahoo reported. Reynolds said to Spielberg on the phone:
Steven, I’m doing this Waterworld movie, and we’re shooting on the water. Do you have any advice for me?
And Spielberg’s advice was clear:
Don’t spin on the water! […] Do all your recordings in one tank or on one set.
Because nature is unpredictable. It’s not without reason that water-heavy blockbusters like Titanic or Avatar 2 were filmed in huge artificial pools where the tides can’t interfere with filming.
But Reynolds and Costner ignored Spielberg’s advice – and things happened as they had to. During the first days of filming, a hurricane swept through the filming area and destroyed large parts of an expensive, floating set that formed the basis of the first act.
After further complications, Waterworld finally emerged 166 days of filming until completion. The blockbuster was originally supposed to cost 100 million: the budget swelled to 175 million US dollars, at that point no film had ever been more expensive. The worldwide box office result of 264 million US dollars was a disappointment.
On the subject:
Stream or TV: When and where is Waterworld running?
Nitro is showing Waterworld on free TV this Wednesday at 8:15 p.m. Unfortunately there is no repeat. Alternatively, you can rent Waterworld from Amazon or Apple if the date doesn’t suit you.