In the early 1990s, Tom Cruise was asked by Steven Spielberg to star in a film that would not see the light of day until many, many years later. A film ultimately carried by Brad Pitt.
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This is the story of a film that, after many twists and turns, took almost thirty years to see the light of day. The film was released in 2008 The Strange Story of Benjamin Button Could have been very different if, as Steven Spielberg first envisioned in 1991, Tom Cruise had starred. As early as the 1980s, producer Ray Stark was interested in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story and bought the rights to it. He commissions Frank Oz to implement it and asks Martin Short to play the leading role. Without success. A few years later Steven Spielberg took over the project for which he wanted to work with Tom Cruise. “Tom and I have been friends for many, many years. […] We wanted to work together. “We talked about doing ‘Benjamin Button’ years before Minority Report,” Steven Spielberg told Entertainment Weekly.
From Tom Cruise to John Travolta, these actors who almost played Benjamin Button
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Despite this shared desire, the director left the project to pursue Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List. The adaptation is far from abandoned, however, as in 1994 Jack Gerbes is contacted by the Maryland Film Office. Here, too, the case is terminated. Four years later, Ron Howard directs the project with John Travolta in the title role. It wasn’t until 2007 and David Fincher that “The Strange Story of Benjamin Button” finally saw the light of day.
Over $335 million at the box office for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Leave Tom Cruise, in this version it’s Brad Pitt who lends his facial features to Benjamin, alongside Cate Blanchett in the role of Daisy. Crowned with three Oscars, including Best Visual Effects, The Curious Story of Benjamin Button is a real success. The film grossed $127 million in the United States and $208 million in overseas markets for a total of $335.8 million. A big success!
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Article written in cooperation with 6Medias