Whole Lotta Testin’
Mass appeal: Orion Pictures is shooting a more upbeat ending to “Great Balls of Fire”--the Jerry Lee Lewis musical bio starring Dennis Quaid, due to open June 30--after test audiences voted thumbs down on the original, downbeat finale.
That conclusion had the once-triumphant Lewis reduced to playing at one of the old honkytonks where he’d gotten his start, after his skyrocketing career fizzled with his scandalous marriage to his 13-year-old cousin (played by Winona Ryder).
In the new ending, Lewis will perform in an unnamed auditorium--in celebratory style--jumping joyfully atop his piano.
“The idea is that the music goes on,” said exec veep Mike Medavoy, “and it does, to this day.”
He added, “In tests, audiences told us that they loved Dennis Quaid (as Lewis), they loved the music and they loved the movie--except for the ending. They wanted something more upbeat, so, we are reshooting.”
Don’t look for an epilogue bringing moviegoers up to date with the still-wild life and times of Lewis, a.k.a. The Killer.
Said Medavoy: “We’ll do that in the sequel.”
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