Joe Carnahan is not exactly the most subtle person on the planet. Known for not having much of a filter when it comes to his opinions on Hollywood, Carnahan has had a bit of trouble getting some passion projects made in recent years. His DAREDEVIL project got nixed when Disney regained the rights to the character and his profane email regarding the DEATH WISH remake was pretty popular a few months back.
It looks like Carnahan is actually taking the more mature route regarding his latest film, STRETCH, which The Hollywood Reporter said was being dropped from Universal’s release schedule. The $5 million budgeted film was produced by PARANORMAL ACTIVITY’s Blumhouse Productions. Universal allowed Carnahan and Blum to shop for other distributors and were unable to find one. So, now STRETCH has no release date.
In STRETCH, Patrick Wilson plays a chauffeur who picks up a difficult and devious billionaire, played in a cameo by Chris Pine. As the night goes on, their interaction leads to dangerous encounters. Jessica Alba, Brooklyn Decker, Ed Helms and Ray Liotta also appear in the film.
That sounds like a pretty badass movie, so why isn’t it seeing the light of day? According to Joe Carnahan, there is no reason to worry.
Guys. Bottom line. STRETCH is fucking great. It’s funny. It’s touching. It’s unique and @patrickwilson73 is absolutely brilliant in it.
— Joe Carnahan (@carnojoe) January 22, 2014
I can talk shit & argue with that idiotic @THR story but brass tacks, that movie works & you will all be fast fans of it when you see it.
— Joe Carnahan (@carnojoe) January 22, 2014
I think it’s as good or better than my best film & say that from the bottom of my heart. This movie will make it to you, trust me.
— Joe Carnahan (@carnojoe) January 22, 2014
Guys, the movie is gonna find its audience & that audience will love it. Whether that happens now or later is irrelevant. It’s gonna happen.
— Joe Carnahan (@carnojoe) January 22, 2014
For those of you who knock TWITTER, I wish I could show you the hundreds of tweets pouring in right now on behalf of STRETCH. Tremendous.
— Joe Carnahan (@carnojoe) January 22, 2014
Guys. Rest assured. You will all see STRETCH, on the big screen, in 2014.
— Joe Carnahan (@carnojoe) January 22, 2014
Unlike other Blumhouse films like THE PURGE or PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, STRETCH is not a horror film and seems to fit a more niche audience. Universal may not have wanted to spend four times the budget of the film on marketing due to the stars involved only to have it not turn a profit. What is a shame is that the movie was slated for March 21, 2014 where it would have served as nice counter-programming to MUPPETS MOST WANTED and DIVERGENT. Still, the studio may not have thought it could compete with those movies. Here’s hoping that we see STRETCH sooner than later.