Variety‘s Tatiana Siegel has reported that four Owen Wilson movies — one now being filmed, one due to shoot in January, and two others pending release — have obviously been affected by last Sunday’s suicide attempt by the 38 year-old actor, and particularly by news reports about same.
Wilson was expected to show up in Hawaii to start work on DreamWorks’ Tropic Thunder, which costars Ben Stiller, Bill Hader and Jack Black, and then shoot a comedy in January with Jennifer Aniston called Marley & Me. Studio spokespersons didn’t say anything about anything when Siegel asked if Wilson would still be acting in these films.
The Wilson tragedy may or may not affect the marketing on Wes Anderson‘s The Darjeeling Limited, which Fox Searchlight is opening on 9.28, but Siegel believes that Paramount’s marketing of Drillbit Taylor, a comedy that opens next March with Wilsonin the title role, has “an even bigger problem” because of the Judd Apatow-produced film’s young-male demographic. What…young guys are especially susceptible to being upset and turned off about Hollywood suicide attempts? Wouldn’t it be more of a case of audiences in general not being as inclined to laugh and kick back with Taylor because of this sad event?
Extra reported yesterday and today that it was Luke Wilson, Owen’s successful actor bother, who found him and called for an ambulance last Sunday. (Extra reporters “obtained the Calls for Service report from the Santa Monica Police Department, which lists the reason for the 911 call from Owen Wilson’s house as an ‘attempted suicide.'”)
I’ve never heard or read that Luke lives with Owen in his Santa Monica home, but if they do in fact live separately (as I’m given to understand) it seems awfully fortuitous that Luke just happened to come over just as Owen was succumbing to the effects of a slashed wrist and a pill overdose. It would certainly have been odd if Luke had been at the home before or during Owen’s suicide attempt. (Would you try to off yourself while your brother is in the house making scrambled eggs or watching the tube or catching zees in the guest room?) Any way you slice it, Luke being there for whatever reason was a pretty lucky break for his brother.