NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n\n- \n\n
Ron Howard and Brian Grazer faced multiple rejections before Disney agreed to produce their mermaid film Splash<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
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Disney initially insisted the mermaid wear a bikini top, but Grazer successfully lobbied against the idea<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
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The film overcame competition from a rival mermaid project and became a surprising success upon release<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Before Splash<\/a> made it to the big screen, Ron Howard<\/a> and Brian Grazer had quite a few hurdles to clear first.<\/p>\nAfter the script was completed, the pair shopped it around to a variety of studios \u2014 though Grazer and Howard found a mountain of rejections at first. Though the producing\/directing duo had just come off of the 1982 film Night Shift together (which earned actor Henry Winkler<\/a> a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor), they found themselves continuously stonewalled.<\/p>\n“[Night Shift] wasn’t like a massive, massive commercial hit, but it was a sleeper hit for sure. Reviews were good. It was well regarded,” Howard, 72, said on the It Happened in Hollywood<\/a> podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\nThe pair struggled to land a studio that would produce the mermaid flick, and Howard admitted he “gave up on it.”<\/p>\n
“I didn’t think it was ever going to happen,” he said. “I was looking for something else to do.”<\/p>\n
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<\/div>\nFrom left: Eugene Levy, Daryl Hannah, Tom Hanks and John Candy in ‘Splash’
Credit: Moviestore\/Shutterstock<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
For a time, Howard focused on another project he was developing, though he said Grazer “would not give up.”<\/p>\n
“Finally, after every studio had passed, he said, ‘What about Disney?’ ” Howard recalled. “I said, ‘Oh, Brian, I mean, that is really the minor leagues. I don’t know if we’re helping ourselves.’ “<\/p>\n
Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for<\/strong> PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/strong><\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\nAt the time, Disney’s most recent live-action film release was Gus, a 1976 sports comedy film about a football-playing mule. The film wasn’t well-reviewed by critics, but Grazer, now 74, who was working on a different project with Disney at the time, said the company wanted to “get back in the feature business.”<\/p>\n
“They were ambitious,” Grazer said. “And we went in, and met them, and they were into it. They understood it pretty well.”<\/p>\n
The only catch, Grazer said, was that Disney insisted the mermaid, who was played by Daryl Hannah<\/a>, would have to wear a bikini top to keep it appropriate. Howard and Grazer fought back, explaining that such a decision would’ve been “the corniest thing imaginable.”<\/p>\n“It looked like it was going to go away one more time, but Brian would not let it go,” Howard said.<\/p>\n
Instead of backing down, Grazer went to the “very small Disney board” and lobbied for his film \u2014 insisting that the mermaid couldn’t wear a bikini top. Eventually, Grazer said he “convinced” them to make the film \u2014 though Howard remained “very, very dubious” it would come to fruition.<\/p>\n
The film was further challenged when Ray Stark tried to get the film killed to make way for his own mermaid movie, which supposedly had Warren Beatty<\/a> and Jessica Lange<\/a> tied to it. In the end, Splash released in 1984 to surprising success, even earning a Best Original Screenplay nomination at the Oscars, while the rival film never made it to the big screen.<\/p>\n
Ron Howard and Brian Grazer faced multiple rejections before Disney agreed to produce their mermaid film Splash<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
Disney initially insisted the mermaid wear a bikini top, but Grazer successfully lobbied against the idea<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
The film overcame competition from a rival mermaid project and became a surprising success upon release<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Before Splash<\/a> made it to the big screen, Ron Howard<\/a> and Brian Grazer had quite a few hurdles to clear first.<\/p>\n After the script was completed, the pair shopped it around to a variety of studios \u2014 though Grazer and Howard found a mountain of rejections at first. Though the producing\/directing duo had just come off of the 1982 film Night Shift together (which earned actor Henry Winkler<\/a> a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor), they found themselves continuously stonewalled.<\/p>\n “[Night Shift] wasn’t like a massive, massive commercial hit, but it was a sleeper hit for sure. Reviews were good. It was well regarded,” Howard, 72, said on the It Happened in Hollywood<\/a> podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n The pair struggled to land a studio that would produce the mermaid flick, and Howard admitted he “gave up on it.”<\/p>\n “I didn’t think it was ever going to happen,” he said. “I was looking for something else to do.”<\/p>\n From left: Eugene Levy, Daryl Hannah, Tom Hanks and John Candy in ‘Splash’ For a time, Howard focused on another project he was developing, though he said Grazer “would not give up.”<\/p>\n “Finally, after every studio had passed, he said, ‘What about Disney?’ ” Howard recalled. “I said, ‘Oh, Brian, I mean, that is really the minor leagues. I don’t know if we’re helping ourselves.’ “<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for<\/strong> PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/strong><\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n At the time, Disney’s most recent live-action film release was Gus, a 1976 sports comedy film about a football-playing mule. The film wasn’t well-reviewed by critics, but Grazer, now 74, who was working on a different project with Disney at the time, said the company wanted to “get back in the feature business.”<\/p>\n “They were ambitious,” Grazer said. “And we went in, and met them, and they were into it. They understood it pretty well.”<\/p>\n The only catch, Grazer said, was that Disney insisted the mermaid, who was played by Daryl Hannah<\/a>, would have to wear a bikini top to keep it appropriate. Howard and Grazer fought back, explaining that such a decision would’ve been “the corniest thing imaginable.”<\/p>\n “It looked like it was going to go away one more time, but Brian would not let it go,” Howard said.<\/p>\n Instead of backing down, Grazer went to the “very small Disney board” and lobbied for his film \u2014 insisting that the mermaid couldn’t wear a bikini top. Eventually, Grazer said he “convinced” them to make the film \u2014 though Howard remained “very, very dubious” it would come to fruition.<\/p>\n The film was further challenged when Ray Stark tried to get the film killed to make way for his own mermaid movie, which supposedly had Warren Beatty<\/a> and Jessica Lange<\/a> tied to it. In the end, Splash released in 1984 to surprising success, even earning a Best Original Screenplay nomination at the Oscars, while the rival film never made it to the big screen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Credit: Moviestore\/Shutterstock<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n