The Eastwood Rule refers to a legal principle in United States copyright law, specifically concerning fair use of copyrighted material in film and television productions.
In the world of filmmaking, rules are often made to be broken. However, one rule, known as the Eastwood Rule, was born out of a significant event during the production of the 1976 western film, "The Outlaw Josey Wales."
The Eastwood Rule, named after its creator, actor and director Clint Eastwood, came into existence due to the Guild beefing up penalties for letting go of a director once he'd been hired. The rule was a response to a tense situation that arose between Eastwood and the film's original director, Philip Kaufman.
Kaufman, known for his slow, methodical style and unwavering desire to create the perfect shot, found himself at odds with Eastwood during the filming of "The Outlaw Josey Wales." Eastwood, who was also a producer on the film, grew frustrated with Kaufman's approach, leading him to use his star power to have Kaufman kicked off the project and take over the director's chair for the remainder of the film.
Despite Kaufman's significant contributions to the film, having co-written the script and put a great deal of work into pre-production and filming, he was unable to regain his position. The Directors Guild fought for Kaufman's reinstatement, but Eastwood refused to budge.
The Eastwood Rule seemed to backfire on Eastwood himself when he was unable to remove writer and director Richard Tuggle from the project "Tightrope" in 1984. Eastwood did take over many of the directing duties, but Tuggle still got the title and stayed involved with the movie till the bitter end.
Interestingly, there are no specific documented cases in the provided search results where film productions were taken over by other directors due to the Eastwood Rule protecting the original director Clint Eastwood.
This intriguing episode in Hollywood history was detailed in David Denby's article in The New Yorker, providing a fascinating insight into the power dynamics and creative tensions that can exist within the film industry.
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