The Producers | |
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North American theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Susan Stroman |
Produced by | |
Screenplay by |
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Based on |
The Producers by Mel Brooks Thomas Meehan |
Starring | |
Music by | Mel Brooks |
Cinematography | John Bailey |
Edited by | Steven Weisberg |
Production
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Distributed by |
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Release date
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Running time
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134 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $45 million |
Box office | $38.1 million |
The Producers Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
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Soundtrack album by Various Artists | |
Released | Nov 16, 2005 |
Genre | Broadway |
Label | Sony |
Producer | Doug Besterman |
The Producers is a 2005 American musical comedy film directed by Susan Stroman and written by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan based on the 2001 Broadway musical, which in turn was based on Brooks's 1968 film of the same name starring Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder, and Andreas Voutsinas. The film stars an ensemble cast led by Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman, Will Ferrell, Gary Beach, Roger Bart, and Jon Lovitz. The creature effects for Tom the Cat and the performing pigeons were provided by Jim Henson's Creature Shop.
The Producers was released in the United States by Universal Pictures in a limited release on December 16, 2005, followed by a wide release on December 25. It garnered generally mixed reviews from critics and was a commercial failure, grossing only $19.4 million domestically and $38.1 million worldwide from a $45 million budget.
Following the flop of theatre musical Funny Boy (based on William Shakespeare's Hamlet) ("Opening Night"), the show's washed-up producer, , hires the neurotic Leo Bloom as his accountant. While studying Max's books, Leo notes that a flop is expected to lose money, the IRS won't investigate the finances of failed productions. Leo jests by selling an excess of shares and embezzling the funds, a flop could generate up to $2 million. Max asks for Leo's help with the scheme, only for the latter to refuse ("We Can Do It").