Sony changed aspects of ‘Concussion’ to avoid ‘kicking the hornet’s nest’ of the NFL

Sony Pictures is scheduled to release a new movie called Concussion in December, and it will focus on how chronic brain injuries from football affect players and even lead to early death. Based on its premise, the NFL is probably not going to be a big fan of the movie. While Sony Pictures still went through with the production, it did modify parts of the movie to try to limit a negative reaction from the NFL.

The New York Times combed through leaked emails from Sony about the movie and found several aspects were modified with the NFL’s reaction in mind. That included taking “most of the bite” out of the movie for legal reasons. Here is a sampling of some of the emails.

Dwight Caines, president of domestic marketing

“Will is not anti football (nor is the movie) and isn’t planning to be a spokesman for what football should be or shouldn’t be but rather is an actor taking on an exciting challenge. We’ll develop messaging with the help of N.F.L. consultant to ensure that we are telling a dramatic story and not kicking the hornet’s nest.”

Peter Landesman, director of the movie

“We’re just being smart because any large corporation will design a response to something it considers to be a threat to its existence. We don’t want to give the N.F.L. a toehold to say, ‘They are making it up,’ and damage the credibility of the movie.”

“There were things that might have been creatively fun to have actors say that might not have been accurate in the heads of the N.F.L. or doctors. We might have gotten away with it legally, but it might have damaged our integrity as filmmakers. We didn’t have a need to make up anything because it was powerful and revelatory on its own.”

Landesman was asked about the leaked emails by the Associated Press and disputed the report that the movie was altered to appease the NFL.

“We always intended to make an entertaining, hard-hitting film about Dr. Omalu’s David-and-Goliath story, which played out like a Hollywood thriller. Anyone who sees the movie will know that it never once compromises the integrity and the power of the real story.”

Landesman also questioned the New York Time’s role and whether they were working with the NFL. Via Deadline:

It does seem to me like the New York Times is working for the NFL. That’s how it seems to me. It seems like a hatchet job has been done here, and came out of the NFL’s offices, that’s how it seems to me.

Hannah Minghella, Sony executive

“Rather than portray the N.F.L. as one corrupt organization can we identify the individuals uals within the N.F.L. who were guilty of denying/covering up the truth.”

Although some “unflattering moments for the NFL” were modified or removed, Landesman maintained in emails that the storytelling of the movie was never compromised to “protect ourselves from the NFL.”

The NFL has previously used its substantial influence to pressure companies out of projects that weren’t flattering. One of the most notable examples was when the league influence led to ESPN cancelling the show Playmakers. As the New York Times noted, the NFL also complained about a Frontline documentary on head trauma, leading to ESPN dropping its role in the project. That wasn’t the case with Concussion as leaked emails show only limited contact between the NFL and those working on the project, and Sony Picture doesn’t have any substantial ties to the league, according to the New York Times.

Here is the trailer for the movie, which is currently scheduled to be released on Christmas Day.