Delays, Recasting, Tight Budget: How ‘The Brutalist’ Overcame the Odds

Universal Pictures

Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist isn’t just a film; it’s a battle-hardened passion project that survived every obstacle imaginable to become a 215-minute epic. Chronicling the life of Hungarian architect László Toth (Adrien Brody) in post-war America, the film was brought to life on a modest $10 million budget after seven years of perseverance. From pandemic-related delays to recasting the entire ensemble, The Brutalist’s production was a relentless exercise in determination and ingenuity.

A Production Rebuilt

When The Brutalist was first introduced at the European Film Market in early 2020, it had a powerhouse cast featuring Joel Edgerton, Marion Cotillard, and Mark Rylance. Then… the world shut down. COVID-19 brought the project to a screeching halt, and as delays piled up, scheduling conflicts forced Corbet to rethink everything.

But if there’s one thing Corbet has proven, it’s that he doesn’t quit. Adrien Brody, who has a deeply personal connection to the story as the son of Hungarian immigrants, stepped into the lead role of László Toth. “I knew what to give,” Brody told The Hollywood Reporter. “I witnessed the hardships my family faced being immigrants and being foreign and how difficult it was.”

Guy Pearce signed on as Harrison Lee Van Buren, László’s wealthy patron with questionable motives, while Felicity Jones joined as László’s wife, Erzsébet, learning Hungarian to nail the role.

Director Brady Corbet, centre, on the set of ‘The Brutalist’

Production Turmoil and Perseverance

Even after filming resumed in Hungary in 2023, The Brutalist’s production was anything but straightforward. The pandemic continued to loom over the shoot, forcing Corbet and his team to adapt on the fly. Border closures disrupted plans to film in Poland, necessitating a move to Hungary, where Budapest and the surrounding countryside stood in for 1950s Philadelphia and rural Pennsylvania. The constant logistical juggling added stress to an already demanding schedule.

The production hit another major delay when Jones announced her pregnancy. Rather than replacing her or altering the character’s role, Corbet chose to pause filming until she was ready to return. For a film already years in the making, this decision was yet another test of patience. “I’m quite accustomed to having the plug pulled, but I’m also accustomed to getting things back on track,” Corbet told Screen Daily. “I was pretty relentless.”

Corbet’s persistence extended to navigating the intense financial pressures of independent filmmaking. The tight $10 million budget meant balancing ambitious creative choices with practical limitations. Filming was condensed into 33 gruelling days, with cast and crew working long hours to meet the schedule. Corbet reflected on the strain, telling Slate that another $1 or $2 million “would have just made the entire process a little bit more relaxed.” He looked back at the long hours working to finalise the film’s mix. “We would have added a week or so to the mix, instead of working 24-hour days. My mixer and I, on the last day, we came in at 8 in the morning and we left at 5 in the morning.”

Despite these challenges, Corbet’s collaborative approach kept the project moving forward. The international co-production brought together resources and expertise from the U.S., the UK, and Hungary. Producers and financiers—many of whom had worked with Corbet before—stuck by the project even when its timeline stretched years beyond initial expectations.

Cinematographer Lol Crawley on location shooting ‘The Brutalist’

Sticking to the Vision

While many filmmakers might cut corners to ease the strain, Corbet remained adamant about his vision, often making bold choices that added to the production’s complexity. One of the film’s most striking sequences was shot in the Carrara marble quarries of Italy, where Michelangelo famously sourced the material for his sculptures. Financiers questioned the expense of shooting in such a remote and costly location, suggesting that a granite quarry could serve as a substitute. Corbet refused, insisting that the sequence’s historical and thematic resonance was non-negotiable. “I was like, ‘Well, you know, it’s not quite the same and I think it’s very important for every frame to be imbued with meaning and thought and ideas,'” he told Screen Daily.

The Carrara sequence is not only a visual highlight but also a symbolic one, tying the film’s exploration of power, control, and exploitation to the natural world. The quarries, with their massive, carved-out walls, served as a stark backdrop for the story’s themes of possession—of both materials and people.

Corbet also pushed boundaries with his choice of VistaVision cameras, a large-format film stock last widely used in the mid-20th century. While the format allowed for breathtakingly detailed imagery, it came with significant challenges. The equipment was bulky, the film stock was heavy, and post-production required specialised facilities. “This was not a Christopher Nolan movie, so we were not always in the most high-profile facilities,” Corbet told Screen Daily, laughing. “We were mostly editing the movie in basements all over the world.”

Production designer Judy Becker, an Oscar nominee with high-profile credits that include Brokeback Mountain, Carol, American Hustle, and The Fighter, helped ground the film’s grand vision in practical ingenuity. Becker created massive facades for key locations, including the Pennsylvania institute commissioned by Guy Pearce’s character. To stretch the budget, she used techniques like forced perspective to make the sets appear larger and more imposing. “Judy wasn’t scared off by her small budget,” Corbet said. “She prioritises great projects over cash.” Her designs not only captured the austere beauty of brutalism but also reflected the emotional weight of the story.

Universal Pictures

A Hard-Earned Payoff

The hard work behind The Brutalist hasn’t gone unnoticed. The film premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, where it won five awards, including the Silver Lion for Best Director. Since then, it has continued to rack up accolades during its international rollout, including three Golden Globe wins: Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director for Corbet, and Best Actor for Brody. It also received nine Critics’ Choice nominations and was named one of the top 10 films of 2024 by the American Film Institute.

And we still have this year’s Academy Awards, where the film is expected to receive significant recognition. Whether it clinches the Best Picture trophy or not, Corbet’s relentless dedication has cemented The Brutalist as a standout in independent cinema.

When asked what advice he had for aspiring filmmakers, Corbet shared with Slate a guiding principle: “You don’t have to compromise on the what, but you have to be willing to compromise on the how.” It’s a lesson in persistence, creativity, and a refusal to let anything—not a pandemic, not budget constraints, not even granite—get in the way of the story you want to tell.