Spielberg declined because the film was too dark for him

Spielberg declined because the film was too dark for him

Many viewers groan when they have to wait two years for a film. In the case of The Little Things, it was 28. The thriller starring Oscar winner Denzel Washington is now celebrating a late triumph on Netflix and has made it to #2 on the movie charts. Steven Spielberg was originally set to direct.

Ranked #2 on Netflix: Steven Spielberg turned down Thriller because of Schindler’s List

Police officers Deacon (Washington) and Baxter (Rami Malek) are on the trail of a serial killer in Los Angeles in the 90s already has six people on his conscience. While Deacon still has to fight his own demons, the seedy Albert (Jared Leto) becomes the focus of the investigators.

Director John Lee Hancock (The Founder) wrote the screenplay in 1993 and offered it to various directors. Among them was Steven Spielberg. As Hancock describes in an interview with Deadline, the Jaws visionary found the material too dark: After Schindler’s list, he wanted to focus on something lighter.

The template then went through the hands of Clint Eastwood, among others, before the project disappeared into oblivion for decades. It only picked up speed again in 2019. Hancock eventually agreed to direct the film himself.

As Metacritic shows, the reviews of the film when it was released in cinemas in 2021 were very average. With its place in the Netflix top 10, the thriller celebrates a small, late victory. After all, he has prevailed against sci-fi hits like Valerian – The City of a Thousand Planets or xXx: The Return of Xander Cage with Vin Diesel.

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