After the David O. Russell movie "Nailed" started filming in 2008, financial woes became the nail in its coffin. It has since lingered about without a release in sight -- until now. Maybe.
"Nailed" tells the story of an uninsured waitress (Jessica Biel) who is accidentally shot in the head with a nail, and the sleazy congressman (Jake Gyllenhaal) who takes advantage of her while aiding her movement to fight for her rights. The Screen Actors Guild shut down the production in 2008 due to insufficient funding, and Russell -- best known for having directed "The Fighter" and "Silver Linings Playbook" -- officially quit the production in 2010 with only one scene incomplete.
Now, in a turn from left field, the MPAA has issue the movie a PG-13 rating, according to Rope of Silicon's weekly MPAA update. Could that signify a release on the horizon? We've already flirted with one rumored possible release following a raw screening of the film last spring, after which a score was commissioned. Shortly thereafter, however, producers Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher told Collider that the production hiccups had become too "polluted" and they couldn't "foresee" anyone agreeing to commit to the few months' worth of work remaining on the project.
"I think probably not in this lifetime," Wick said when asked whether "Nailed" would see the light of day. "That was our first foray into the independent world, and it was really one of the great bit-h-slappings of either of our lives."
While an MPAA rating is no guarantee that the movie will garner a release (particularly a theatrical one), it could mean that some aspects of its finalization are moving forward. Whether Russell would agree to return to the project is an even bigger question mark. (HuffPost Entertainment reached out to the director for comment and will update this post with any fresh information.) Problem is, that missing scene is pretty pivotal -- it's the one where Biel's character gets shot in the head.
Either way, two things to remember: "Nailed" is easily one of the most troubled productions in recent memory, and, despite that, a cut of the movie does indeed exist. With a script from former "Futurama" and "Saturday Night Live" scribe Kristin Gore, who also wrote the novel, the film seems like the makings of a great indie comedy. It co-stars (or co-starred?) Catherine Keener, James Marsden, Tracy Morgan and Kirstie Alley. Our fingers are crossed in hopes the gods of Hollywood will smile down on this production and help it to resurface.
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