 In former United Artists Executive Steven Bachs book on the making  of the Heavens Gate, Final Cut, Bach kept saying of the initial  rushes that it looked "like David Lean went and made a Western".  When production spiraled out of control, Bach apparently visited a  director (against DGA rules) with the intent of seeing if he would  replace Michael Cimino. As he did not want to create problems for  that director, in the book Bach only refers to him as "The Famous  Director". When the "Famous Director" asks what the rushes look  like, Bach told him that it looked "like you went and made a  Western", the implication being that he asked David Lean. In any  event, the "Famous Director" saw some of Ciminos footage and turned  Bach down.