George Clooney isn’t looking forward to the long-delayed release of his low–budget early-’80s horror film Grizzly II: ‘It was a bad time for hair and clothes’
George Clooney appears dismayed about the impending release of an early film he had tried to put behind him.
The 59-year-old A-lister told The Sun on Saturday that he had no interest in ever seeing his 1983 horror thriller Grizzly II, which was shelved for decades after its special effects shots couldn’t be completed.
An official release was announced in December, almost 40 years after it was made, though Clooney won’t be among those buying a ticket.
Bear-ly interested: George Clooney, 59, told The Sun on Saturday that he doesn’t plan on seeing his long-lost 1983 horror film Grizzly II, which is receiving an overdue release on January 8; seen in 2017
‘I haven’t seen it — and I don’t know that I want to,’ Clooney said of the ultra low–budget exploitation flick.
The Oscar winner, who sports a peak 1980s mullet in the film and a denim vest, declared it ‘was a bad time for hair and clothes.’
‘I have a sense I have found something that’s worse than Batman & Robin,’ he said, referring to his critically panned 1997 superhero film, which was lambasted for his low-energy performance and for its garish production design and costuming, including an infamous bat suit with nipples.
Grizzly II will now be receiving a limited theatrical release and a simultaneous VOD release on January 8 in the US.
Not his best look: The Oscar winner, who sports a peak 1980s mullet in the film and a denim vest, declared it ‘was a bad time for hair and clothes’
Real stinker: ‘I have a sense I have found something that’s worse than Batman & Robin,’ he added
Despite the film’s reputation for being a stinker, it’s surprising that it wasn’t released earlier to capitalize on the star power and later prestige of its cast.
In addition to Clooney, the film also features performances from a young Charlie Sheen and Laura Dern, as well as One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’s Louise Fletcher and John Rhys-Davies (Raiders Of The Lost Ark, The Lord Of The Rings trilogy).
Despite featuring a mostly American lead cast, the movie was shot in Hungary, and it was never completed after an executive producer reportedly flew the coop with a significant chunk of its budget.
Though the primary scenes with the actors had all been filmed, the special effects shots that would utilize a mechanical bear hadn’t been completed, forcing the movie to be shelved for years.
Stacked cast: Grizzly II also stars a young Charlie Sheen and Laura Dern, plus Louise Fletcher and John Rhys-Davies
Tortured history: Despite featuring an American cast, the movie was shot in Hungary and was never completed after an EP reportedly flew the coop with a significant chunk of its budget
Low-quality bootleg versions of Grizzly II began circulating in 2007, and the renewed interest led the film to be completed in 2019.
So far, the completed film has played at both high-brow and genre film festivals.
The movie was a sequel to 1976’s Grizzly, a low-budget horror film about a 2,000lb bear with a taste for human flesh.
The movie received terrible reviews and was judged to be a knock-off of Jaws (1975), but it still managed to become the most successful independent film of 1976.
In the sequel, a 15ft bear reacts to the shooting of her cub by terrorizing a major concert being put on in the woods.
Surprise hit: The film is a sequel to Grizzly, a critically panned Jaws knock-off that still became the most successful independent film of 1976; Clooney seen in 1986 in Beverly Hills
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