Back to Altman’s Original ‘Man’

After momentarily losing track, Robert Altman has caught up with “The Gingerbread Man.”

The John Grisham thriller seemed to have gotten away from the veteran director last month when executives at PolyGram Pictures brought in another editor to re-cut Altman’s version after disappointing test screenings.

But the studio now plans to go back to release the original Altman film early next year, according to a source close to the picture.

“We came to the conclusion that the Altman movie is preferable,” said the source, adding that an official announcement has yet to be made.

Originally, studio officials had said the $25-million film had had four disappointing research test screenings and that Altman’s final version, at 109 minutes, was too long and didn’t build sufficient tension. They also complained about its minimalist musical score. They decided to bring in editor Don Cambern to amend Altman’s version.

Altman responded by threatening to take his name off the picture.

Two weeks ago, the re-edited version was shown to test audiences; those screenings also elicited a lackluster response.

“To the best of my knowledge there was not a perceptible difference [in audience reaction],” said a source close to the project. “It went OK, but not great.”

So what audiences will see early next year will be the movie as Altman had intended it.

The film was originally scheduled to open Oct. 3 but now has been pushed back to sometime between January and March, according to a source close to Altman.

“If the new picture had tested brilliantly, that would be different,” said a source close to the picture. “Since it didn’t, why not go back to the original?”

The back-and-forth is testimony to the growing importance given to advance test research by studios.

“You can over-analyze and over-test and you take all the passion out,” said the source close to Altman.

The first screenplay written by novelist Grisham, “The Gingerbread Man,” which stars Kenneth Branagh, Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall, has seemed an unlikely vehicle for Altman. Altman, who directed “MASH,” “Nashville” and “The Player,” is known for iconoclastic, even renegade films, but not for the kind of formulaic thrillers that are Grisham’s bailiwick.

The 72-year-old director persuaded studio executives that he could deliver a taut thriller and PolyGram officials were reportedly happy to have a director of his caliber on board.

But test screenings held around Southern California did not meet studio expectations, even though they reportedly yielded middle to good responses.

At a New York screening for about 50 industry insiders last month, Altman announced that he would petition the Directors Guild to have his name removed from the film unless the studio went back to his version.

Now he won’t have to do that.

“It’ll be just the usual Hollywood kiss and make up,” said the source close to the film. “Everyone will be ‘Darling’ and ‘Sweetie’ again.”