Broderick, Lane Set for 'Producers' Movie


LOS ANGELES (AP) - Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane will star in the movie version of their Broadway hit "The Producers."

The movie that gave the world the song "Springtime for Hitler" could be out by Christmas 2005, Universal Pictures spokesman Michael Moses said.

The play was based on a 1968 movie by Mel Brooks starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, who set out to swindle investors by creating a musical flop.

Brooks wrote the show, which became a Broadway success three years ago and won 12 Tony Awards, the most ever.

Lane and Broderick left the show but returned late last month. It currently is setting box-office records.

Brooks will produce the film version and co-write the screenplay with Thomas Meehan. Directing will be Susan Stroman, who directed the play.

Sky News Showbiz is reporting that Nicole Kidman has signed on to play the bimbo secretary in the movie. This sounds really weird, because Broderick is also in The Stepford Wives with Kidman, and apparently the two didn't get on well from halfway through production.

I'm surprised Kidman's in it because the secretary is a very small role, with all of about three lines. Anyways, I'm such a fan of the original movie - Gene Wilder, Dick Shawn, Kenneth Mars... Hard to believe they could ever top it. And so, this is going to be a movie based on a show based on a movie. Right.

I've never seen the play or movie- but is the play much different than the movie? Also- is Mel Brooks in the original film, and will he be in this one?

One more thing- is the secretary the sort of character you could imagine Kidman playing?

Originally posted by webuster
I've never seen the play or movie- but is the play much different than the movie? Also- is Mel Brooks in the original film, and will he be in this one?

One more thing- is the secretary the sort of character you could imagine Kidman playing?

I haven't seen the show (don't live anywhere near New York and couldn't get tickets even if I did ;) ) but the movie is fabulous. It was Mel Brooks's first film that he ever did - he wrote the screenplay and directed it, but he didn't star in it. However, when one actor wouldn't say his line the way Mel wanted, he personally dubbed the actor's voice ("Don't be stupid, be a smarty, come and join the Nazi party!") and that's his one appearance in the film. Apparently Mel loved doing that line so much that he also yells it at every performance of the show (I'll admit, I'm not quite sure how that works, but that's what he said in an interview).

I'd guess the play is pretty dang loyal to the movie, since Brooks wrote both, but the play is a musical whereas the movie really wasn't (I think there's only two or three songs in the whole film). The movie was such a huge success, Gene Wilder was nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Mel Brooks won for Best Screenplay - so it's a safe bet that the show's pretty loyal.

The secretary is such a small role in the film. She's a blonde Swede who's supposed to be gorgeous, but completely dumb. No English at all, her job is to dance in front of the boys whenever they want. So no, I can't really see Nicole Kidman in that part, but it's probably a safe bet that they expanded the role a lot for the stage version.