ParanoidObsessive posted...
I'd argue none of that was the "higher ups", though. At least not directly.
Basically, the movie was f***ed the moment the execs told Jackson they wanted three movies.
"It wasn't the higher-ups. The movie was doomed when the higher-ups made their demands." =)
The desire for a trilogy was part of it. The desire for a love triangle was part, and telling Jackson, et al., to wait on shooting on certain days, when everyone was made-up and ready to go, was another. For sure, Jackson being less invested in this project than the previous one didn't help, but the man was given a losing battle and told, like so many generals of Japanese emperors, to go out there and win regardless.