'Graduate' decree
Warners swaps helmers on Aniston comedy
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Tyro helmer Griffin, who wrote "Ocean's Eleven" and "Matchstick Men," has been replaced by Reiner as the director of the Warner Bros. Pictures romantic comedy starring Jennifer Aniston. Pic was 10 days into production.
Section 8 toppers Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney are producing the film with Paula Weinstein. Production, which began July 24, is expected to go dark this week in order to close Reiner's deal and facilitate the helming transition.
Credits and other issues were being hammered out with the DGA over the past weekend.
Griffin also wrote the pic's screenplay, which advances the storyline of "The Graduate." Starring alongside Aniston are Kevin Costner, Shirley MacLaine and Mark Ruffalo. Warners exec VP Kevin McCormick is an executive producer.
Although studio reps would confirm only that Griffin had exited the project due to creative differences, there were rumors of trouble on several fronts.
Some issues were of the sort that tend to sink first-timers, especially on a high-profile production. Griffin was said to be spending more time setting up his shots than working with the actors, which both slowed down production and frustrated his cast.
Aniston was also said to have voiced concerns to her Plan B partner Brad Grey and to Section 8 that the dailies didn't seem to have the right comic tone.
Other rumors circulated that Griffin passed on an "Ocean's Twelve" rewrite for Soderbergh because he was too busy shooting his own pic.
Replacing a director mid-production is a rare occurrence, but it's happened on a Griffin-scripted project once before. He wrote the 1999 pic "Ravenous," which was originally to be directed by Milcho Manchevski. Antonia Bird replaced him.
More recently, tyro helmer Marco Schnabel was replaced by "American Wedding" director Jesse Dylan on Universal Pictures' "Kicking and Screaming" after a week of production. That film is slated for a 2005 bow.
Reiner, who was a partner with Warners president and chief operating officer Alan Horn in Castle Rock Entertainment, directed last year's "Alex and Emma" for the studio.
Both Griffin and Reiner are repped by the William Morris Agency.
