MovieChat Forums > Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (2015) Discussion > NO Cusack as actor but he is a producer

NO Cusack as actor but he is a producer

posted 10 years ago by goofyball
10 replies | jump to latest

so after a little reading... i see john cusack was a producer on the first one. according to him he decided to do the film because he liked the title. he came on as a producer as well and must have had some kind of final edit in his contract. he says he and his producing partner edited the film themselves and were fighting the whole way apparently with the studio.

not sure if his production company picked up the movie first then sold it to MGM to make or MGM had the movie and john came on and became a producer.

so part 2 comes along and contractually he's attached as a producer (in name only i assume) but was not asked to come back as actor.

seems strange but he must have really pissed off the studio. he claims he was right in all his decisions in editing and that's the stuff the fans loved.

anyone know anything more about this?

[–] janiegrrl13 10 years ago

What's the point of watching without Cusack?

[–] thomaswilliamboner 10 years ago

I agree, I really liked the first one and it just will not be the same without him.

[–] ronnet_2 10 years ago

Very strange. He clearly was the lead among the main characters. he was also the most grounded character. Now it's a group of wacky characters encountering even wackier characters.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] shacmasta 10 years ago

I'm willing to bet Cusack is in the film in the beginning or end. If you look Under Miscellaneous, in the cast and crew section. A Malika R. Cohen is listed as "assistant to Mr. Cusack"

A quick cross check of her name shows her as his assistant for his last 3 films (Reclaim, The Prince and Drive Hard)

[–] andrea-696-221052 10 years ago

Excellent find!

[–] jblanch3 10 years ago

It sounds odd, almost like an Edward Norton situation. He might have caused drama with the studio and they decided that it wasn't worth asking him back for the sequel. Which is weird, I could understand artistic clashes if it was a serious drama or intended to be Oscar bait, but it's freakin' Hot Tub Time Machine, a silly comedy.

[–] mjarcher1977 10 years ago

Hmmm. I wonder who shot Lou.

[–] QweefPolice 10 years ago

If youre speaking of EXECUTIVE producer, yes, it is possible if he had a hand in creating the original characters or original story. Very often Executive producer credit is just given like an afterthought, present to people who at one point had something to do with a film, so he could have been granted his without actually doing any actual work on the sequel

[–] lukejbarnett2002 10 years ago

if he had anything to do with this movie then he should of been in it. there's no reason for him not to be. he was one of the important things about the original that made it resonate and made it special. otherwise it would've been just another one of the countless forgettable cookie cutter comedies which we regularly get in Hollywood. he did ground the first film and gave it meaning and believability and an nostalgic '80s charm, power, and importance.