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Catch Me If You Can (2003)
Catch Me If You Can is a 2002 American comedy-drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks with Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Nathalie Baye, Amy Adams and James Brolin in supporting roles. The screenplay by Jeff Nathanson is based on the semi-autobiographical book by Frank Abagnale Jr., who claims that prior to his 19th birthday, he successfully performed…
Directed by Steven Spielberg · Shot by Janusz Kamiński · Cut by Michael Kahn · Music by John Williams · Ratio 1.85:1 · 135 min
How it was made
- The production shot 147 locations in just 52 days; Leonardo DiCaprio said scenes the crew expected would take three days were sometimes finished in a single afternoon.
- Place Royale in Old Quebec stood in for the French town of Montrichard, with the church Notre-Dame-des-Victoires visible in the background of the arrest scene.
- Before reaching Spielberg, the film rights passed through at least six owners over two decades, including producers Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin, Columbia Pictures, producer Hall Bartlett, Disney's Hollywood Pictures, and TriStar's Bungalow 78 Productions.
- David Fincher and later Gore Verbinski were each attached to direct before dropping out; Spielberg considered offering the job to Miloš Forman and Cameron Crowe before deciding to direct it himself.
- Wanting a French actress to play Paula Abagnale for accuracy, Spielberg had Brian De Palma, then living in Paris, help him test candidates including Nathalie Baye for the role.
Behind the scenes
Elsewhere
More by Steven Spielberg
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