Tom Hardy’s Havoc Delayed 4 Years: Director Reveals Shocking Truth Behind Reshoots

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The director of the movie “Havoc”, Gareth Evans, discusses the reasons behind the film’s four-year delay and the reports about reshoots. Starring Tom Hardy, this action-packed thriller revolves around a detective played by Hardy who navigates through the crooked underworld of his city to hunt down those responsible for a botched drug deal. Apart from Hardy, the star-studded cast includes Jessie Mei Li, Justin Cornwell, Timothy Olyphant, Forest Whitaker, and Yeo Yann Yann. “Havoc” was initially completed in October 2021; however, its release was postponed due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America and SAG strikes, as well as additional filming sessions.

Following the Netflix release of “Havoc” on April 25, I sat down for an interview with Film Stories to discuss the project’s recent developments. Reflecting on the four-year delay, the director openly admitted that the Hollywood strikes played a significant role in this timing. Interestingly enough, he viewed these strikes as advantageous for our film, as they provided us with the opportunity to delve deeper into its content and make informed decisions about its direction. Here’s his take on the situation:

We completed wrapping the film in October 2021 and realized that a week’s worth of work was necessary to clarify some storylines. However, coordinating the schedules of our ensemble cast for this period turned out to be quite challenging. To make matters worse, we were struck by both the WGA and SAG strikes, causing everyone to pause for around 7-8 months. During this time, previously ongoing projects took priority, resulting in an extended post-production phase. This unexpected delay allowed us to thoroughly examine the film, experiment with different cuts and edits, and ultimately focus on the areas that required attention when we finally managed to reschedule additional photography.

What Gareth Evans’ Comment Means For Havoc

The Movie’s Years-Long Delay Results In Some Changes In Post-Production

Evans’ remarks outline the hurdles that the movie ‘Havoc’ encountered during post-production, including extensive work on photography, editing, and storyline refinement. However, whether this approach proved successful remains debatable. Initially, ‘Havoc’ received a 68% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 38 reviews from critics, but as more reviews came in, the score dipped to 67% from 58 reviews. The movie also has an audience score of 51%. As additional data is collected, these ratings may change, but it’s worth noting that ‘Havoc’ ranks among Gareth Evans’ least-acclaimed films when compared to his other works such as ‘The Raid’.

ScreenRant’s critique of “Havoc” echoes the disappointment arising from inconsistencies in the film’s post-production, characterized by editing errors and subpar CGI. The review also pointed out a lack of originality in Walker’s (Hardy) narrative, yet commended the acting performances. Remarkably, despite generally unfavorable opinions, “Havok” stands as one of Tom Hardy’s more highly-rated films as per its Rotten Tomatoes score, surpassing that of all three “Venom” movies, which range from 31% to 58%.

Our Take On Havoc’s Troubled Production History

The Movie Has Its Moments

Although the film was on hold for quite some time, Evans did affirm in another conversation that this didn’t drastically alter the movie. Similar to what the director of _The Raid_ shared, the extra time provided an emotional gap from the project and enabled him to refine certain aspects, which might offer a distinct viewing experience compared to his other films.

Many people have eagerly awaited the release of “Havoc,” and there’s been a significant amount of excitement surrounding it, creating lofty expectations among viewers. However, given that the film has been in development for an extended period, it’s only fair to give it a chance when it finally hits the big screen.

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2025-04-26 04:29