Hollywood has increasingly become dependent on adaptations, even Steven Spielberg. He has committed to direct Harvey – an adaptation of the Mary Chase Pulitzer prize-winning play. It is about a man who befriends a 6½-foot-tall invisible rabbit. In the 1950 film version, the man is played by Jimmy Stewart.
The film will be produced by both DreamWorks and 20th Century Fox. DreamWorks will finance 50% of the production via its new funding relationship with Reliance and distribution domestic or international through another arrangement with Disney. Work on the movie is set to start early next year. Big names in the cast include Tom Hanks and Will Smith. This movie could prove to be quite a test for Spielberg, especially since DreamWorks’ deals with Disney and Reliance. Fox could potentially have complicated things however, its chairman Tom Rothman agreed to share the production once Spielberg came on board.
Harvey is a story about a man who befriends a ‘pooka’, a creature of Celtic folklore – who comes in the form of a six-foot, three-and-one-half-inch tall rabbit. Last year in June, Harvey made it to seventh place in AFI’s Ten Top Ten, fantasy genre. It was also placed in 35th position in the American Film Institute’s 100 years…100 laughs. In 1951, Harvey won an Oscar for ‘Best actress in a supporting role’ (Josephine Hull) and a Golden Globe for ‘best supporting actress’. It was nominated at the Oscars for ‘best actor in a leading role’ (James Stewart), at the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Motion Picture Actor – Drama and at the Hugo for Best Dramatic Presentation.