Tbh I don’t really know what to believe. The script was pretty bland so I can totally see why they wanted to spice it up a little, and hey, those two have proven many times how capable they are as film-makers. One thing I know for sure is that it would have been a far more interesting film to watch.
I understand that perspective, but the reason I disagree is because no one else was on board with what they were doing. At the very minimum, you need your cast to trust you and to be on the same page of what you’re doing. That was never the case, which would have made the eventual film weak for it.
And lots of fun films have bland scripts, take The Force Awakens with its bland script that barely isn’t A New Hope. The direction is what gave it any life. After being burned by “edgy” filmmakers, they went with the safest possible choice they legally could (Lawrence Kasdan, already working on the film as writer and producer, could not direct according to union rules that the film legally agreed to prior to going into production).