UNITED STATES: WORLD PREMIER OF 'WILD WILD WEST' DREW OUT IT'S STARS WILL SMITH, KEVIN KLINE, KENNETH BRANAGH AND SALMA HAYEK

Record ID: 705214

  • Title: UNITED STATES: WORLD PREMIER OF 'WILD WILD WEST' DREW OUT IT'S STARS WILL SMITH, KEVIN KLINE, KENNETH BRANAGH AND SALMA HAYEK
  • Date: 3rd July 1999
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 19) (RTV-LA) (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) WILL SMITH SAYING OF APPEARING NUDE IN THE FILM, That was tough because, you know, with the screen actors' guild rules, you have to be covered, you know, so I had duct tape inside my legs with a little pee-pee pouch, you know,that was holding on there, and the going on wasn't the difficult part, it was the coming off, snatching that stuff off of there, so, it was quite difficult but, anything for the movie man! Anything for the movie!
  • Embargoed: 18th July 1999 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES AND FILM LOCATIONS
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA52B0S2ZZ201LS055MHI5HMTQ6
  • Story Text: The next big potential summer blockbuster, "Wild Wild West," enjoyed its World Premiere on Monday, June 28 in Los Angeles and drew out its stars Will Smith, Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh and Salma Hayek.
    Executives at Warner Brothers hope to replicate the success that Sony Pictures enjoyed the last time Will Smith teamed up with director Barry Sonnenfeld for "Men In Black."
    In fact, they're opening "Wild Wild West" on the same holiday weekendthat the previous film opened two summers ago.It has unofficially become Smith's annual weekend, because, in addition to "Men in Black," his previous blockbuster "Independence Day" also opened to record box office on the Fourth of July weekend.
    "Wild Wild West" is based on the cult classic vintage television series of the 60's starring Robert Conrad as the super-cool cowboy James West.Smith takes on the role in this updated film version, and teams with Kevin Kline as West's technology-obsessed partner with a gift for gadgets, Artemus Gordon.
    Also in the cast are Kenneth Branagh as the diabolical genius Dr.Arliss Loveless, a mad southerner who is half-man, half-machine and who plans to conquer the United States with his 80 foot tall mechanical tarantula.Salma Hayek co-stars as the beautiful and mysterious Rita Escobar, who gets involved with West and Gordon's plans to capture Loveless.
    In the director's chair is Barry Sonnenfeld, who, in addition to the blockbuster "Men In Black," also directed both "Addams' Family" films as well as John Travolta's starring vehicle "Get Shorty."
    The film also copies the marketing pattern of "Men In Black" by releasing a sure-to-be hit rap song by Will Smith weeks before the film hits theaters.It's just one part of a star-packed soundtrack that also includes Enrique Iglesias, Dru Hill, Kool Mo Dee and Stevie Wonder.
    Warner Brothers began positioning "Wild Wild West" as the big event film for the summer of 1999 as long ago as last year.The studio took out a full-page ad in the Hollywood trades last July announcing that this film would be the one to watch outfor in a year's time.But the strategy backfired for director Sonnenfeld, because ever since then, the media has been paying very close attention to his set, reporting on everything from budget over-runs to negative early test screenings and re-shoots.
    Sonnenfeld counters such reports by saying all films conduct early test screenings and most schedule re-shoots to fix elements to which audiences react negatively.The budget on "Wild Wild west" has reportedly soared higher than 100 million dollars.
    How well audiences respond to the finished product will be determined only after the film opens throughout the United States on Wednesday, June 30.
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