Initially, the L.A. Times’ Patrick Goldstein was skeptical of our theory that blog outrage last week prompted Sylvester Stallone to “un-cast†50 Cent in his upcoming ensemble movie The Expendables. Then he spoke with Expendables producer Avi Lerner!
After [Forest] Whitaker dropped out over scheduling issues, Stallone met with 50 Cent. “They had a good meeting and we all thought Sly liked him,†Lerner explained. “But the next thing I knew, Sly changed his mind. I don’t know what happened — maybe someone put some doubt in his head.â€
But could that doubt have really come from the reaction in the blogosphere? “I think the answer is yes and no,†Lerner said. “Maybe it was what the bloggers were saying. Directors are always worried about how people are going to react to their choices, so they’re always influenced by reaction, whether it’s from fans, bloggers or critics. I think they’re in a very vulnerable place when they’re trying to make these decisions, so you never know what’s going to influence them.â€
Until this week, we truthfully never imagined that 50-directed blog bile was powerful enough to actually torpedo one of his projects. Does anyone at his record company read blogs?
Did the blogosphere’s beef with 50 Cent make him ‘Expendable’? [Big Picture/LAT]
Earlier: Hero Bloggers Thwart 50 Cent’s Casting in Movie