Bright Lights, Big City (film)

Bright Lights, Big City is a 1988 American drama film directed by James Bridges and starring Michael J. Fox, Kiefer Sutherland, Phoebe Cates, Dianne Wiest and Jason Robards, based on the novel by Jay McInerney, who also wrote the screenplay. It was the last film directed by Bridges before his death in 1993.

In 1984, Robert Lawrence, a vice president at Columbia Pictures, championed Jay McInerneys novel against resistance from older executives. He felt that the book spoke to his generation and described it as Graduate, with a little bit of Lost Weekend. The studio agreed to make the film with Jerry Weintraub producing and Joel Schumacher directing. McInerney wrote a draft of the screenplay and, soon afterward, Schumacher started rewriting it. Actor Emilio Estevez was interested in adapting it into a film. He met with McInerney while he was still working on the screenplay. Tom Cruise was offered first refusal on the script while McInerney and Schumacher were attempting to capture the novels distinctive voice. McInerney, Cruise and Schumacher scouted locations in New York City and checked out the atmosphere of the club scenes described in the novel. At one point, Judd Nelson, Estevez, and Rob Lowe were all considered for the role of Allagash.In 1985, Weintraub took the property to United Artists when he became chief executive there. The film needed a new producer so Sydney Pollack and Mark Rosenberg took over. They hired writer Julie Hickson to write a script. Cruise and Schumacher grew tired of waiting for a workable script, but before they could be replaced, Weintraub left United Artists. The project became entangled in a complicated settlement with the studio, months being lost before it finally stayed at United Artists. A decision was made to shoot the film in Toronto and cast an unknown in the leading role. ........

Source: Wikipedia