Oh boy. We already knew that Sony spent this year struggling to make the Steve Jobs film written by Aaron Sorkin, but we had no idea Jobs was such a Grade A clusterfuck behind the scenes.
The latest Sony hacks reveals the squabbling that went down between Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal and Jobs producer Scott Rudin, and it's real ugly. In a series of leaked emails the two tear ruthlessly insult each other and Angelina Jolie. Their relationship soured when David Fincher was chosen to direct Jobs instead of Jolie's Cleopatra movie. This upset Jolie and led Rudin to tell Pascal, "YOU BETTER SHUT ANGIE DOWN BEFORE SHE MAKES IT VERY HARD FOR DAVID TO DO JOBS."
That's when things escalate:
1.
Pascal sends an angry and strangely poetic reply:
"You better shut it down
That is what you said
That sounded like a threat to me
You know Eric and she have always wanted David and I have been the one saying no for two years
I have asked you to talk to her with me and you don't want to deal with it
David is all over this and they talk about it all the time
He talked about it at dinner I've been trying to talk to you about it
They are all beAt and they play games with each other
We knew how pissed she and Eric would be that we gave him the jobs script and if you don't think he made. Big ducking deal out if that your crazy
Have you forgotten how this works
He was great on jobs but we haven't gotten close to he hard part yet
We can't even schudule one ducking meeting
You and I have have the two biggest fights we have has in years
And we haven't even had a meeting yet
Nobody changes
Ever
I tried I get a word In tonight with her but she was pissed off
I liked the script we got in December so did you
Don't pretend all thoes things didn't happen cuz it makes me feel like I'm going crazy
And you bet she is gonna make it uncomfortable for him and so is Eric
I don't he cares about discomfort anyway"
More barbs are traded in a series of lengthy of exchanges—which you can read in full here—including Rudin taking down Jolie once again:
"I'm not destroying my career over a minimally talented spoiled brat who thought nothing of shoving this off her plate for eighteen months so she could go direct a movie. I have no desire to be making a movie with her, or anybody, that she runs and that we don't. She's a camp event and a celebrity and that's all and the last thing anybody needs is to make a giant bomb with her that any fool could see coming."
By November, when Jobs was destined to leave Sony and Fincher was long gone, it was clear Rudin and Pascal's relationship would never be the same. Pascal begs for one more chance at the film:
2.
And Rudin sent a couple more nasty emails:
"I have worked something out for you with Universal and whether or not you take it is up to you— but so we are clear, I am done being your advocate here as you don't deserve one exhalation of breath on your behalf. You've behaved abominably and it will be a very, very long time before I forget what you did to this movie and what you've put all of us through."
"You've destroyed your relationships with half the town over how you've behaved on this movie. If you don't think it's true, wait and see. Let's see the next filmmaker WME puts in business at Sony or the next piece of star talent. I'll bet my house I'm right."
