WTF Happened to Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain?

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Hollywood has had its fair share of historically troubled productions. Whether it was casting changes, actor deaths, fired directors, in-production rewrites, constant delays, budget cuts or studio edits, these films had every intention to be a blockbuster, but were beset with unforeseen disasters. Sometimes huge hits, sometimes box office bombs. 

In this episode, we take a look at director Darren Aronofsky's 2006 film, THE FOUNTAIN, starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. What was originally set with a much bigger budget and a lead cast of Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, turned into a domino effect of production delays, budget cuts and finally a cancelation that saw set pieces being auctioned off. After turning the script into a DC/Vertigo comic, Aronofsky eventually got his footing back for the film, this time with a new cast and a smaller budget. Released in 2006 with barely a whimper and critical dismissal, THE FOUNTAIN has since found its way into cult status, like many of Aronofsky's films, and begs the question; WTF happened to this movie?