and Michael Ferris in 1991. It was sold to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer that year, but the project was put in turnaround and eventually picked up by Propaganda Films. Director Jonathan Mostow was attached to the project, while Kyle MacLachlan and Bridget Fonda cast in the lead roles. Principal photography was scheduled to start in February 1993, but in early 1992, the project was moved to PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, and Mostow was became an executive producer. Producer Steve Golin bought the script from MGM and gave it to David Fincher, hoping he would direct. Fincher liked the plot twists but brought in Andrew Kevin Walker, who had worked with him on Seven, to make the character of Nicholas more cynical. Fincher and Walker spent six weeks changing the tone and trying to make the story work. According to Fincher, there were three primary influences on The Game: Michael Douglas' character was a "fashionable, good-looking Scrooge, lured into a Mission: Impossible situation with a steroid shot in the thigh from The Sting". In an interview, Fincher explained that his film differed from others of that kind because "movies usually make a pact with the audience that says: we're going to play it straight. What we show you is going to add up. But we don't do that. In that respect, it's about movies and how movies dole out information." Fincher also stated that the film is about "loss of control. The purpose of The Game is to take your greatest fear, put it this close to your face and say 'There, you're still alive. It's all right.'" More revisions were made to the script, including removing a scene where Nicholas kills Christine and then commits suicide, as Fincher felt that it did not make sense. In 1996, Larry Gross and Walker were brought in to make revisions to the script. Casting Fincher had intended to make The Game before Seven, but when Brad Pitt became available for Seven, that project became the top priority. The success of Seven helped the producers of The Game get the larger budget that they wanted. They then approached Michael Douglas to star in the film. He was hesitant at first because he was concerned that PolyGram was not a big enough company to distribute the film. However, once he was on board, Douglas' presence helped to get the film into production. At the 1996 Cannes Film Festival, PolyGram