FILM 2264: THE STEPFORD WIVES (2004)

TRIVIA: In an interview with Ain't It Cool, Frank Oz's take on the film was "I f***ed up... I had too much money, and I was too responsible and concerned for Paramount. I was too concerned for the producers. And I didn't follow my instincts."

The film was originally going to keep the book's ending, but it was changed when test audiences didn't like it.

Heavily re-edited and re-written following test screenings, with new scenes shot and others deleted. The attempts to cater to audience tastes backfired as the new edits and scenes created continuity errors and major story problems.

The location used for the rotunda of the Men's Club was the same one used in the original film.

Reports of problems on-set between Frank Oz and Nicole Kidman, Bette Midler, Christopher Walken, Glenn Close and Roger Bart were rampant in the press. Oz confirmed in an interview that there was "tension on the set" and that he had "had words" with Walken. He also blamed Midler for being under a lot of stress from other projects - she "made the mistake of bringing her stress on the set".

Tim Burton was attached to direct at one point.

Siblings John Cusack and Joan Cusack were originally cast as Walter Kresby and Bobbie Markowitz respectively, but had to drop out of the film for family reasons.

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This is featured on the podcast We Hate Movies Episode 380 - The Stepford Wives (2004)