In 1982 British filmmakerJames Scott had made an Academy Award winning adaptation of a Graham Greene novella. Adapting another Greene novella, this time as a feature length film, seemed like a natural progression of things. He had Greene's blessing to take his novella Loser Takes All and turn into a film that would feature stage star Robert Lindsay and Molly Ringwald. He had every element in place. Almost. The only thing left was getting American distribution. And that was found when a deal was struck with Miramax. All that James Scott had to do in order to get his modest British comedy made was deal with a producer named Harvey Weinstein, who had a lot of ideas on how this film should be made. Links James Scott's Website Sources Rizov, Vadim. The Legend of Harvey Scissorhands. MTV.com, August 9, 2013. https://www.mtv.com/news/zs4qqu/harvey-weinstein-snowpiercer-cuts Ringwald, Molly. All The Other Harvey Weinsteins. The New Yorker, October 17, 2017. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/all-the-other-harveys Robert Lindsay: 'Monster' Weinstein blacklisted me. BBC.com, November 9, 2017. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/entertainment-arts-41927167 Connelly, Christopher. The Heartbreak Kid. Premiere Magazine, July 1990. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elaine May will always be best known for her comedy with Mike Nichols and her screenwriting skills. However, as a director May is an uncompromising force who seemingly would do whatever it takes to get her vision on the screen. This episode looks at the great lengths May went to in order to get Mikey and Nicky, a lifelong passion project made, and what that lack of compromise cost her. Author Patrick Cooper, director of photography/cameraman Jack Cooperman, and an unnamed crewmember help tell this story of a seemingly simple production that was anything but. Links Check out Patrick Cooper's book Aren't You Gonna Die Someday? Courtney Kocak's podcasts are Podcast Bestie and The Bleeders Articles Before the Snyder Cut: Look back at other Hollywood director's cuts (ew.com) Cock, Jay. Cinema: Hit Men. Time Magazine. January 31st, 1977. https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,918649,00.html MIKEY AND NICKY - HOLLOW SQUARE PRESS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The death of actor Peter Sellers in 1980 also seemed like the death of the Pink Panther film series. Instead, director Blake Edwards decided it was a new beginning. A beginning of numerous lawsuits, several flops, and one unseen television pilot. Author John LeMay and actor Charlie Schlatter help tell the story of what happened when Blake Edwards kept trying to keep the Panther on the hunt. Sources Books LeMay, John. Trailing the Pink Panther Films: An Unauthorized Guide to the Pink Panther Series. Bicep Books, January, 2022. Oldham, Gabriella. Blake Edwards: Interviews. University Press of Mississippi, December, 2017. Wasson, Sam. A Splurch in the Kisser: The Movies of Blake Edwards. Wesleyan University Press, July, 2011. Articles "Seller’s Widow Wins $1 Million Damages Over Panther Film" AP News. AP Services, May 24, 1985. https://apnews.com/article/39ab5abec851ab132d99965780aa6a7e "Film maker Blake Edwards filed a $180 million lawsuit..." UPI Archives. September 28, 1983. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/09/28/Film-maker-Blake-Edwards-filed-a-180-million-lawsuit/1090433569600/ "BLAKE EDWARDS SUED BY MGM/UA" New York Times. Aljean Harmetz. April 17, 1984. https://www.nytimes.com/1984/04/17/movies/blake-edwards-sued-by-mgm-ua.html Links Closing Night: Victor Victoria episode Transcription Available at The Industry Podcast website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alan Dean Foster is an accomplished author in his own right, but in this episode of The Industry, he shares his process of writing movie novelizations and some of the more interesting novelizations he's done. From Star Wars, Alien, The Thing, The Black Hole, and even a very special episode of Maude, Alan shares many of his experiences in this unique writing world. Links Dan Delgado on Twitter and Bluesky Visit Alan Dean Foster's website Alan Dean Foster's Memoir of his novelization work Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Back in the 1970s and 80s if you walked into a bookstore you would undoubtedly had seen whatever the newest movie was in theaters sitting on a display in book form. The movie novelization is a world unto itself. We take a look at what it takes to adapt a movie to a novel, why the differences can be interesting, and get into why they exist in the first place. With insight from novelization experts Alan Dean Foster and Tim Waggoner, podcast host Paxton Holley, and filmmaker Whit Stillman, the rare filmmaker who has novelized his own films. Links Dan Delgado on Twitter and Bluesky Listen to Paxton Holley's I Read Movies Podcast Visit Tim Waggoner's website Visit Alan Dean Foster's website Buy Whit Stillman's books If you like the show you can support by clicking here: Buy Me A Coffee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By the 1960's director Alfred Hitchcock was at the absolute height of his powers. He had reached the point where he could make any movie he wanted. Yet as the decade rolled on. Hitchcock seemingly had project after project he had developed not blossom into a feature film. What was keeping Hitchcock from making the movies he really wanted to make? We attempt to answer this question with help from HitchCon's Joel Gunz and author Shawn Levy. Links: Listen to Lew Wasserman's story on Glitter and Might: Glitter and Might (pod.link) Check out HitchCon '23: HitchCon International Alfred Hitchcock Conference Kaleidescope Test Footage: Alfred Hitchcock's Kaleidoscope Footage - YouTube Hitchcock documentary: Hitchcock - Reputations - YouTube If you like the show you can support it by clicking here: Buy Me A Coffee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Peter Bogdanovich's final film, She's Funny That Way, came and went and barely anyone seemed to notice. However, it wasn't the movie he really made. What Peter actually filmed was a black and white screwball comedy called Squirrels to the Nuts. What happened is a typical story. The movie didn't test well and the studio changed the film completely, and no surprise the studio version bombed anyway. The original version? That was believed lost to history. Or so we thought.  A few years later, James Kenney (possibly the world's biggest Bogdanovich fan) found the original version in tact. On eBay.  This episode features James Kenney, documentarian Bill Teck, and Louise Stratten (Peter's ex-wife and Squirrels co-screenwriter) all helping to tell this story which seems to have an actual Hollywood Ending. Sources: Peter Bogdanovich Had a Vision for This Film. Now It’s Finally Being Seen. - The New York Times (nytimes.com) “You Saved One of My Best Pictures”: My Adventures with Peter Bogdanovich and his Lost, Last Picture Show – Tremble…Sigh…Wonder… (tremblesighwonder.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After Paramount Pictures' 1974 version of The Little Prince seemingly vanished into thin air, it would be decades before another big screen version would come around.  That version would be fully animated, with a voice cast that included Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, Paul Rudd, Benicio Del Toro, James Franco, Ricky Gervais, Paul Giamatti and Marion Cotillard. But Paramount abruptly abandoned plans to release the film, and in this episode, The Little Prince director Mark Osborne explains what he thinks went wrong. Plus, Patrick Oliver Jones of the Why I'll Never Make It podcast talks to the makers of the new Broadway version of The Little Prince that just opened last week.  The Little Prince on Broadway:  https://thelittleprincebroadway.com Why I'll Never Make it: https://whyillnevermakeit.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joseph Tandet was a lawyer who was not in The Industry. But when the opportunity arose to own the rights to The Little Prince, he took it. He wound up as a producer on a big-budget movie adaptation. The 1974 version of The Little Prince had everything going for it, including Gene Wilder, musical numbers by Lerner & Loewe, Bob Fosse dancing, and Stanley Donen in what should have been his element. But something went wrong between the page and the screen.  Several years after Tandet's movie of The Little Prince became a forgotten memory, he used his ownership of the rights again, this time to mount a stage version that would never officially open. This episode is a crossover with the Why I'll Never Make It podcast and features host Patrick Oliver Jones doing most of the hosting duties here. It also features both Little Princes: Steven Warner from the 1974 film and Anthony Rapp (Star Trek Discovery) from the 1982 Broadway edition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did they make a movie out of Super Mario Bros, and why did it not really resemble the game it was based on? This episode tells the story of how Super Mario Bros went down, and how an alternate cut was found, restored — and released online this year. SMB screenwriter Parker Bennett, along with the curators of the Super Mario Bros archive, Ryan Hoss and Steven Applebaum, help tell this story of a maligned, misguided movie that now has cult status and genuine love. We also recount the time Dennis Hopper lost it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 1983 horror movie Grizzly II: Revenge boasts a cast that includes George Clooney, Laura Dern, and Charlie Sheen. But it may never have been released if not for Hungarian producer Suzanne C. Nagy, who finally made it available to audiences after 37 years. On the latest episode of The Industry, host Dan Delgado interviews Nagy, the original producer of Grizzly II: Revenge. A sequel to the popular 1976 film Grizzly, which cashed in on the post-Jaws killer animal craze, Grizzly II: Revenge follows the story of a mama bear who attacks a large rock concert to take out her rage towards the poachers who killed her cub. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Preston Sturges was so desperate to direct that he sold one of his scripts for $10 — then persuaded silent film and talkie star Harold Lloyd to star. This is a story that includes Howard Hughes, a secret tunnel to the Chateau Marmont, and some very funny insights by Sturges' son, Tom Sturges. It also notes the amusing similarities between 1947's The Sin of Harold Diddlebock, which has some interesting parallels with Todd Phillips massive 2009 hit The Hangover. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the 1986 Cannes Film Festival, the impresarios of Cannon Films — best known for movies like Superman IV and Over the Top — showed up on the scene in matching tracksuits, with a grand vision. They announced their slate of movies for the next year or so. And while the majors were being lazy with their 15 or so movies a year, Cannon's announcement was for a jaw-dropping 60 films. Sixty! Many of the films got made. But plenty of them didn't. The movies were to star Al Pacino, John Travolta, Walter Matthau, Whoopi Goldberg, and more, and involve creators like Paul Schrader and Roman Polanski.  There were also big plans for a Spider-Man film, years before the hit Sam Raimi films starring Tobey Maguire as the web-slinger. So what happened? We explain on this episode of the industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the 1970s, in an attempt to thaw the Cold War, the U.S. and USSR decided to co-produce a film: Cinematic detente!  The United States would provide big Hollywood stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Jane Fonda and Cicely Tyson. They would be directed by the legendary George Cukor. The Soviet Union agreed to provide the crew, equipment, locations, and of course some ballet dancers.  Then it all fell apart, because of course it did. Also, be sure to check out the We Know Jack Show Podcast! Sources for this episode: Shaw, T. (2012). Nightmare on Nevsky Prospekt: The Blue Bird as a Curious Instance of U.S.-Soviet Film Collaboration during the Cold War. Journal of Cold War Studies, 14(1), 3-33. Retrieved February 24, 2021, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/26924108 Olsen, Lynne. Will Soviet-US Film Find Happiness? Ft. Myers News-Press, March 4, 1975 Cooper, Arthur & Friendly, Jr, Alfred.  Hooray for Hollygrad! Newsweek, March 31, 1975 Reed, Rex. 'Bluebird' limps rather than soars on detente. Long Beach Press Telegram, August 17,1975. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Bruce Lee died on June 20, 1973, Hollywood and Hong Kong scrambled to replace him, creating a misbegotten genre called "Bruceploitation." But Bruce Lee was, of course, irreplaceable. On the latest episode of The Industry, Dan Delgado details the rise of Bruce Lee — and the foolish, quixotic attempts to find any actor who could match him in terms of fighting prowess, charm and charisma. All together now: Good luck with that. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Roar is the story of a family — including Tippi Hedren and real-life daughter Melanie Griffith — stalked by lions and tigers on an African nature preserve. When it was finally released in the United States in 2015 — nearly 40 years after it began its five-year, accident-filled shoot — savvy distribution company Drafhouse Films used the tagline, "No Animals Were Harmed in the Making of This Film. Seventy Cast and Crew Members Were." Have we mentioned that Roar was intended as a family comedy? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nicholas Ray is a legendary director known for his emotional, incredibly influential output in the 1950s. From Humphrey Bogart's best performance with In A Lonely Place to James Dean's iconic turn in Rebel Without A Cause, Nicholas Ray was responsible for some of film's greatest moments. As Jean-Luc Godard explained, "Cinema is Nicholas Ray." But Ray's demons of drinking, gambling, and drug abuse helped lead him on a destructive course. With no one willing to hire him anymore, he took a job teaching film in upstate New York — and seized on the opportunity to make one more film, using his students as his novice film crew. If you like this episode, please subscribe, review it, and recommend it to a friend — the love and attention that everyone involved poured into it will quickly become apparent. And check out Nicca Ray's book, Ray by Ray: A Daughter's Take on the Legend of Nicholas Ray. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1970 Warner Brothers had a surprise hit on its hands when they released the documentary/concert film Woodstock. Though the studio spent less than a million dollars on it, the film would eventually gross $50 million at the box office. Warner Bros. had caught lightning in a bottle. The question for the suits was: How do we make lightning strike twice?  The answer was the Medicine Ball Caravan. But the lightning fizzled. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When I first met Aigul Kaparova, the woman whom I would eventually marry, she told me she was from Kazakhstan. And of course there was basically one thing I knew about Kazakhstan: Borat. I remember asking her how she felt about Borat, because I remembered the reaction to that film in Kazakhstan. She told me the whole controversy didn't really bother her much and that the country had seemingly accepted that Borat would always be associated with her home. And that was about it. Until this week. That's when Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat unexpectedly turned back up in everyone's world with Borat Second Moviefilm, now streaming on Amazon Prime. To my surprise, Aigul told me two things: She had never seen Borat before, and she was really excited to see this new movie. So with that in mind there was only one thing for me to do: Turn on my recorder and document the experience of Borat with someone from Kazakhstan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christopher Reeve came out of Superman retirement to make Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, a film widely considered a disaster. He had said in 1983, after the release of Superman III, that he was done with the role that made him a star. So why did he return for a relatively low-budget superman movie, in which he battled a villain named Nuclear Man? To help green light another film, Street Smart, which helped launch the film career of Morgan Freeman. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.