Thumb (1958), based on a Grimm fairytale. In 1957, Pal announced he wanted Grimm to follow Tom Thumb with Alan Young and Eddie Bracken in the leading roles. In April 1958, he signed Mary Brown to do the costumes. However, in May 1958, after discussions with MGM, Pal decided to make The Time Machine (1960) instead. In August 1959, Pal announced that key roles would be played by Russ Tamblyn, Alan Young, and Yvette Mimieux. Tamblyn would make the film - which would be shot in Europe - after he got out of the army. In December 1959, Pal was reportedly seeking Bing Crosby for a lead role. That month, Stan Freberg was reportedly adding "special material" to the film. In July 1960, Hedda Hopper reported that Pal would make the film in America, not Europe. Pal then delayed the film again so that he could make Atlantis, the Lost Continent. In August 1960, it seemed the film would be postponed indefinitely when Pal announced he intended to make The Return of the Time Machine. However, that film was postponed (it would never be made) and, in January 1961, Pal announced Grimm would definitely be his next film. Casting Pal wanted to cast Peter Sellers and Alec Guinness as the brothers, but was over-ruled by the studio. In March 1961, MGM reported Edmund Hartmann was working on the final script. In March 1961, Pal confirmed Alan Young would appear in the movie. In April, Laurence Harvey was cast as William Grimm. The same month, Karl Boehm was cast as his brother with Yvette Mimieux to play his wife. Mimieux wound up playing the dancing princess in the film while Barbara Eden was borrowed from 20th Century Fox to play Boehm's love interest. In addition to playing the Woodsman, Russ Tamblyn also reprises his role as Tom Thumb, from Pal's 1958 film. Cinerama The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm was produced and exhibited in the original three-panel Cinerama widescreen process. MGM had signed a deal with Cinerama to make four films that attempted to tell a cohesive story, unlike previous productions, which had all been travelogues. How the West Was Won would be the first film and, in March 1961, MGM announced Grimm would be the second. (After these two a single-lens Cinerama was used for narrative films.) George Pal said three fairy tales were chosen which would look good