Overview

• In a recent Variety podcast, Mackie said a 2006 North Carolina shoot overrun forced him to withdraw from The Hurt Locker’s 2007 filming schedule.
• The Hurt Locker producers offered the role to another actor, who declined over pay, and then held it for Mackie until he wrapped his other commitment.
• Mackie condemned his experience on the unreleased film as “one of the most disheartening” of his career and labeled its director “possibly the worst.”
• He contrasted that experience with Bigelow’s approach, highlighting her use of cultural and military research and character studies in Jordan.
• The conflicting project is widely believed to be Daniel Pritzker’s troubled Buddy Bolden biopic, which began in 2006 but did not release until 2019.