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BUDGET SOARS FOR EVAN ALMIGHTY
Monday, October 9 2006
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Costs have skyrocketed for Universal's upcoming Evan Almighty, starring Steve Carell, with final expenditures likely to exceed at least $175 million -- $250 million, including marketing -- the Los Angeles Times reported today (Monday). Such a budget would make it the most expensive comedy in history, the newspaper observed. According to the Times, studio executives have acknowledged that the Bruce Almighty sequel has exceeded original budget estimates but are confident it will eventually be profitable. Describing the film as a "spectacle fantasy and also a comedy," Universal Chairman Marc Shmuger told the newspaper that it is "a great bet." The newspaper quoted unnamed sources as blaming the overruns on the studio's desire to release the film during the holiday season in December, thereby cutting preparation time and forcing the crew to shoot scenes in Virginia during a rainy period. (Bad weather reportedly forced an 11-day production delay.) Producers also encountered delays having to film hundreds of animals (it's a kind of Noah's ark tale), with predators like lions and tigers having to be separated from monkeys and giraffes.
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