Kurt Russell’s involvement with Tombstone is one of the great myths of modern day Hollywood. A troubled production from the start, thanks to a rival project in the form of Kevin Costner’s Wyatt Earp — armed with a much bigger budget — matters were made worse when director Kevin Jarre was fired a month into production. George P. Cosmatos was hired as his replacement shortly afterwards, but as the tale goes, Russell directed the movie himself. Russell was recently asked by Rolling Stone about how much of the film’s production he was actually involved in, and the legendary star opened up on how much he could say.
It has been reported, at one stage, that Russell instructed Cosmatos on which shots should be used each night before filming, and that Russell would never speak publicly of his involvement. Cosmatos passed away in 2005, and Russell has kept his word — although his co-star Val Kilmer has praised Russell’s commitment to seeing the film through to conclusion, without going as far as to say his co-star directed the movie himself.
Over the years, Russell has always danced around the subject, sometimes admitting he played a particular role in the movie’s production, sometimes vaguely brushing it aside. His answer to Rolling Stone was both ambiguous and enlightening, as he repeated his previous comments of refusing to elaborate publicly on the speculation, but adding that the film would not have existed without his intervention.
“Tombstone will always remain a mystery. I made a promise to somebody that I won’t talk about things publicly. At the end of the day, I’m really glad that it came out as well as it did. It had a group of fantastic actors and a writer that, in my opinion, wrote the best Western dialogue ever. And I always see it climbing its way up the ranks in the “Best Western” conversation. I will say this: If I had not been around, Tombstone wouldn’t have, either.”
What is ‘Tombstone’ About?
Tombstone depicted the events that lead up to, and followed, the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, in the late 19th century. The movie focuses on the lives of historical figures such as Wyatt Earp, his brothers Virgil and Morgan Earp, and the infamous gambler and gunslinger Doc Holliday. Kilmer’s performance as Doc Holliday was widely praised, and the film has gained a cult following for its representation of this historical period and the iconic characters involved in the events surrounding the O.K. Corral.
Tombstone is available to watch on Hulu in the U.S.