How a 1973 swashbuckler film accidentally changed Hollywood contracts forever
In short: Richard Lester's 1973 adaptation of The Three Musketeers was meant to be one epic film. Instead, producers split it into two features without telling the cast. The resulting legal fallout forced the Screen Actors Guild to create the Salkind clause, protecting actors from surprise sequels in their contracts.
The 1973 film, directed by Richard Lester and written by George MacDonald Fraser, was originally conceived as a single, four-hour epic. During production, the producers, Alexander and Ilya Salkind, realized they could not meet their release deadline in that format. They decided to split the footage into two separate films, releasing the second half as The Four Musketeers in 1974. Crucially, the actors were not informed of this decision until much later, with some only discovering the change at the Paris premiere.
The deception incensed the cast and crew, who had signed contracts for only one film. Because they were essentially providing labor for two features while being paid for one, many filed lawsuits to secure additional compensation. This industry-wide controversy led the Screen Actors Guild to mandate a new contractual provision. Named the Salkind clause after the producers, it now requires that any plan to split a single production into multiple installments must be explicitly agreed upon in an actor's contract beforehand.
Despite the behind-the-scenes turmoil, the film was a critical and commercial success. It featured a star-studded cast including Michael York, Oliver Reed, and Charlton Heston, who famously agreed to play Cardinal Richelieu only after Lester promised to complete his scenes in ten days. The production, shot over seventeen weeks in Spain, was praised for its humor and adherence to the 1844 Alexandre Dumas novel, eventually earning a 90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and five BAFTA nominations.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: The Three Musketeers (1973 live-action film)
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