In director Zack Snyder\u2019s \u201cWatchmen,\u201d historical figures are depicted as existing in an alternate reality in which we won Vietnam, Richard Nixon was elected for five terms, and superheroes walk amongst us. And as much as I personally loved the movie, I\u2019m also a huge film buff \u2014 so when I saw a very-alive American icon getting murdered 24 years ago on screen, I found myself struggling to comprehend the \u201cWhy?\u201d \u201cHow?\u201d and \u201cHas this ever been done before?\u201d of what was unfolding before my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nothing against Lee; I think Lee\u2019s awesome,\u201d Snyder told me when I asked him about the scene, in which an actor playing Iacocca meets with superhero industrialist Ozymandias, only to be caught in the crossfire as an assassin tries to kill the crimefighting CEO. \u201cBut he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The fact of the matter, however, is that the former Chrysler CEO and Ford President never met the fictional Adrian Veidt \u2014 and when I reached out to Iacocca for comment, he wasn\u2019t exactly thrilled about the details of his big-screen debut.<\/p>\n
A spokesman confirmed that Iacocca had never heard of \u201cWatchmen\u201d until I called. The news of his depiction came as a surprise, and his office confirmed that they had never been approached by Snyder, Warner Brothers, or anyone else associated with the film \u2014 either to ask permission or to simply give him a heads-up.<\/p>\n
When I explained that Iacocca is shown on-screen being shot between the eyes and killed, the phone went quiet for what felt like forever. The automotive pioneer\u2019s office has since attempted to contact the studio to secure a screening, DVD or even an explanation, but as of press time had yet to receive a return phone call.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
To answer Carroll\u2019s question, yes, this sort of thing has<\/i> been done at least once before \u2014 and at feature length, too, rather than just a cameo. I refer to Death of a President<\/a><\/i> (2006), a pseudo-documentary that used archival footage and a few special effects to depict the assassination of George W. Bush.<\/p>\nI can\u2019t think of any other examples right now, though.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MTV Splash Page reports that former Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca is not happy about the fact that Watchmen depicts him being shot and killed in an alternate version of the 1980s. Larry Carroll writes: In director Zack Snyder\u2019s \u201cWatchmen,\u201d historical figures are depicted as existing in an alternate reality in which we won Vietnam, Richard […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1116,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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