— Ch. 1 · Turner's Personal Stake —
Gods and Generals (film).
~5 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
Ted Turner personally financed the 2003 film Gods and Generals after Warner Bros. Pictures rejected his initial pitch in 2000. The final production cost reached $60 million, with an additional $30 million allocated for distribution. This made it one of the most expensive independent films ever produced at that time. Turner also appeared on screen as Lieutenant Colonel Waller T. Patton, a character who was mortally wounded during the Battle of Gettysburg. United States Senators George Allen and Robert Byrd both played Confederate officers in cameo roles. Phil Gramm appeared as a member of the Virginia Legislature early in the narrative. Representative Dana Rohrabacher played a Union officer while Ed Markey appeared as an Irish Brigade officer. Most extras were American Civil War reenactors who provided their own equipment without pay. Ted Turner agreed to donate $500,000 to Civil War battlefield preservation in exchange for this volunteer labor.
Recasting The Legacy
Russell Crowe was originally selected to play Stonewall Jackson but scheduling conflicts prevented his availability during summer and fall 2001 filming dates. Stephen Lang had begun reprising his role as George Pickett before being asked to fill the lead role instead. Billy Campbell replaced Lang in the role of Pickett after only days of preparation. Tom Berenger desired to reprise James Longstreet from the previous film Gettysburg but became unavailable due to scheduling difficulties. Bruce Boxleitner took over the part of Longstreet. Martin Sheen could not return as General Lee because of contractual obligations to The West Wing television series. Robert Duvall stepped into the role of Lee despite having previously chosen to appear in Stalin instead. Duvall claimed he is related to Robert E. Lee on his mother's side of the family during a CNN interview on the 15th of February 2003. David Carpenter portrayed Reverend Tucker Lacy after playing Colonel Thomas Devin in the earlier film. Two rebel privates developed a friendship throughout the story played by Bo Greigh and Trent Walker who both appeared in Gettysburg.