Making a film based on true incidents has its downsides. There are a lot of characters and elements involved in the story that intricately connect the dots to show us a detailed scenario of how things happened. 

Taking creative liberties can sometimes turn out to be disastrous as it removes the film’s premise from the real events. Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty serves as a perfect example of how true events are supposed to be shown.

Just a decade prior to the aforementioned film, Wolfgang Petersen’s natural disaster thriller starring George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg was fighting for its survival in the court.

The Perfect Storm

The film earned Academy Award nominations for visuals and sound but had to go through considerable dents due to the premise that didn’t go well with certain individuals related to the events that were portrayed.

George Clooney’s The Perfect Storm Had Its Own Storms

Petersen found the inspiration for the film in a book of the same name by author Sebastian Junger. Published in ‘97, the book told the story of a mega storm in ‘91 that ravaged the surroundings of New England.

Mark Wahlberg and George Clooney

The ship – Andrea Gail, got caught in it and was destroyed along with six crew members. George Clooney played Cap’n Billy Tyne along with Mark Wahlberg’s Bobby Shatford.

The film’s depiction of Billy Tyne and John C. Reilly’s Dale Murphy was subjected to a lawsuit that their ex-wives filed against WB Studios. The trial was however dismissed by a Florida court citing defective claims.

The Film Suffered Strong Accusations From The Plaintiffs

According to the ex-wives, WB Studios went on to take creative liberties with the film’s premise, and George Clooney and John C. Reilly did not live up to the actual characters of the deceased.

They further added that the studio should have approached them for a sit-down conversation to discuss permissions but in not doing so, they violated the privacy laws.

The Perfect Storm

Petersen and the studio looked down at the possibility of paying a sum of $10m in penalties but before that could happen, the court dismissed the lawsuit.

Warner Bros also hit back at the plaintiffs citing their inappropriate accusations could damage the film’s reputation and affect freedom of speech.

Their statement said –

“We are extremely pleased with the court’s ruling. The plaintiffs’ theory that Warner Bros. needed their permission to tell the tragic story of Andrea Gail the way plaintiffs wanted profoundly threatened free speech.”

George Clooney can’t seem to get away from the love of boats as he is coming with his directorial project The Boys in the Boat set for release on December 25, this year.