‘Waterworld‘, the science fiction blockbuster starring Kevin Costner in 1995, is still remembered as one of the great failures of Hollywood, a film that cost a fortune – about 175 million dollars– and that he was only able to raise 264 million around the world, falling far short of what could be considered profitable. However, things could have been very different if Kevin Costner had listened to Steven Spielberg through advice that could have helped a lot to reduce such a crazy budget.
‘Waterworld’ did not come to fruition
And as the screenwriter explained at the time, Peter Rader -who worked on the aquatic film directed by Kevin Reynolds-, Kevin Costner had a talk with an eminence in Hollywood blockbusters like Steven Spielberg to seek advice, especially after his experience filming in deep waters with ‘Shark‘. And apparently, Spielberg was very clear: “Don’t roll in the water!”, warned the famous filmmaker.
“Kevin said, ‘Steven, I’m doing this movie, ‘Waterworld,’ and let’s roll in the water. Do you have any advice for me?’, and Spielberg was clear: ‘Don’t roll in the water! You’re going to need a couple of planes in the water, so use the second unit for that. Make all your plans in a tank or on a set‘”, warned the director of ‘Jaws’ to Kevin Costner.
Still, both Kevin Costner and director Kevin Reynolds They didn’t follow Steven Spielberg’s advice about filming on the high seas instead of betting on small sets in which to have greater control about production. And although the film won in visual beauty with shots and scenes that to this day are still spectacular, the budget went completely out of control, becoming one of the most expensive movies of the time.
