Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, a remake of the 1964 Marlon Brando-David Niven comedy Bedtime Story, starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine as con artists who compete to scam a young woman out of $50,000, was released on December 14, 1988. Screenwriter Dale Launer, who went on to write and produce My Cousin Vinny a few years later, also wrote this script, but initially had trouble getting the rights to the original Brando-Niven film. As a result, the two stars he originally wrote the lead characters for dropped out.
It started with the script for Launer’s first movie, Ruthless People, being sent to Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger. CBS Records asked Jagger to contribute a song to the film’s soundtrack, and he wanted to read the script before committing to it. He reportedly thought the script was “brilliant” and agreed to sing the film’s title track. Not long after that, Launer got word that Jagger and his pal David Bowie wanted him to write a movie for them; they’d had some success duetting on “Dancing in the Street” a few years before and were looking to collaborate on another project.
Six months later, Launer met with Jagger to discuss the potential project. He pitched him the idea of redoing Bedtime Story, and there was some interest. However, there were some problems. For starters, they would have to incorporate music into the movie, and enough of it to fill up an album. The executives weren’t looking to make a traditional musical with characters randomly breaking out into song and dance; however, Launer had to get creative.
Launer suggested integrating the music more naturally, like having Jagger sing in the car while a Bowie song plays on the radio. Another idea was to have him sing a little off-key while showering. Jagger found it amusing and said that it wouldn’t be hard to get the off-key part right. Things sounded like they were shaping up nicely, but finding ways for Jagger and Bowie to sing throughout the movie didn’t end up being the most significant obstacle they needed to get over.
The executives were worried from the beginning about getting the rights to Bedtime Story from Universal Pictures. Sure enough, their suspicions were confirmed the next day. Universal refused to give up the rights, effectively putting an end to the project—or at least that version of it. They eventually obtained the rights directly from the writer of the original movie, but by then Jagger and Bowie had already decided to pursue a serious project rather than a comedy.
Eddie Murphy and John Cleese were both considered for the lead roles before they were cast with Steve Martin and Michael Caine. Jagger and Bowie also never did a movie together as planned, and both later expressed regret for not doing Dirty Rotten Scoundrels when they had the opportunity. “How ‘bout them apples,” Bowie told Movieline in 1992, “Mick and I were a bit tweezed that we lost out on a script that could have been reasonably good.”
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