Much like President Thomas Jefferson would have done if the original expedition had turned into a complicated headache with a bunch of creative and logistical issues, HBO has announced that it is “temporarily pausing production” on its upcoming Lewis And Clark miniseries. That comes from Deadline, which says production has been “a rough shoot so far,” with internal issues and “weather-related factors” forcing HBO to make “two major behind-the scenes changes.”
Those changes probably won’t impact the average TV watcher much, though: Director John Curran and director of photography Rob Hardy have both left Lewis And Clark (whether it was their idea or not, however, remains unknown). Now HBO is scrambling to replace them, hence suspending production. Stars Casey Affleck and Matthias Schoenaerts are still on board, as are executive producers Tom Hanks, Edward Norton, and Brad Pitt. Oh, sure, directors are important, but most people are happy as long as the famous names are still in the credits.
This all comes just as David Fincher’s two in-development HBO shows are also facing similar troubles, with one, Utopia, getting stuck on budgetary issues, and the other, Videosynchrazy, halting production after some script problems. Like Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, though, Fincher will push west until he reaches the proverbial Pacific ocean. (As opposed to the Lewis And Clark miniseries, which is getting held up by some rain.)