Steven Spielberg is now a legendary filmmaker in the industry, having directed many acclaimed and award-winning films over the years. The filmmaker is arguably the most versatile director who does not limit his films to one genre. He has made dramas, sci-fi films, historical epics, thrillers, action adventures, and big-budget extravaganzas.
By the late 80s, Spielberg was already a big filmmaker with many successful films elevating his power in the industry. In addition to directing, he produced several projects under his production company Amblin Entertainment. The director pulled off the impossible, as he convinced Disney and Warne Bros to license their iconic cartoon characters for 1988’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Steven Spielberg Pulled Off An Epic Crossover Event With Who Framed Roger Rabbit
By the late 80s, Steven Spielberg was a big-shot filmmaker having made some of the most groundbreaking and acclaimed films including Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. The filmmaker also established his production company Amblin Entertainment in the decade and started producing several films under the banner.
One of them was the 1988 classic Who Framed Roger Rabbit starring Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, and an enormous number of cartoon characters. Based on the 1981 novel film Who Censored Roger Rabbit? (in a world where humans and cartoons co-exist), the film chronicles Hoskins’ Eddie Valiant who has to help Roger Rabbit who is framed for murder.
The film proved to be an epic crossover event with iconic Disney and Warner Bros cartoons like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and many others. Spielberg played a major factor in making that near-impossible crossover happen while also bringing back director Robert Zemeckis to direct the film. When Spielberg became involved with the film, he brought Zemeckis on to the project, after initially being rejected by Disney (via Indiewire).
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Spielberg was able to convince Disney and Warner Bros. to lend their character for the film. While he managed to do that, Warner Bros had many conditions, including Bugs Bunny having equal screen time with Mickey Mouse and Duffy Duck to be on par with Donald Duck in the film’s famous piano duel between them.
The result was a film that featured an excessive amount of characters from both studios. Who Framed Roger Rabbit? was a big hit, grossing $351 million against a $50 million budget (via The Numbers). The film is considered a cult classic featuring groundbreaking visual effects.
Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg Almost Made The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg worked together in 2002’s Minority Report and 2005’s War of the Worlds. The actor-director duo seemed to have talked about collaborating on a lot of projects together. Among them was an adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald’s 1922 short story The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the director revealed that he and Cruise talked about adapting the story into a film even before doing Minority Report. However, it did not work out at the end. Spielberg said,
Tom [Cruise] and I were friends. David Geffen introduced us when he made Risky Business when he was a kid. So Tom and I had been friends for many, many years…personal friends. We had considered working together. Benjamin Button, we had talked about maybe doing together, long before Minority Report. But nothing quite jelled for either of us.
David Fincher and Brad Pitt would ultimately adapt the short story in the form of 2008’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The film was praised by audiences and won three Oscars including for Best Art Direction, Best Makeup, and Best Visual Effects.
Fans can watch Who Framed Roger Rabbit? on Disney+.
