The Leader, Director, Actor, Producer, Lion Tamer Nearly Died on the First Day
After casting himself as the lead actor, Marshall was set to make history. However, he almost died on the very first day of production. To entice more investors, Marshall stirred up a fight between some male lions and picked up the camera.
Photo by Sanderson, Eddie/Mirrorpix/Getty Images
There was feline turmoil everywhere. Tens of lions quarreled each other with their paws, claws, and teeth. Loud roars emerged from the feline stomachs as if they were hungry for each other’s blood. One of the points the movie wanted to make was that deep down, lions were friendly and peaceful creatures who just wanted the right kind of leadership to pacify them. To prove the astuteness of that point, Marshall jumped in to be that pacifying alpha-male but ended up getting his hand bitten poorly. All this was caught on camera, and the scene did make the final cut.