There are some marriages that are made in heaven - creative ones, that is - and no star and director are more suited for each other than Jim Carrey and Tom Shadyac. Their first collaboration, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, firmly established Carrey as a star of the first magnitude, and Shadyac as a freshman director with a promising career. The second time Carrey and Shadyac pooled their talents, the result was Universal’s Liar Liar, one of the biggest hits of 1997.
Thus, when Shadyac was first presented with the high and mighty concept for Bruce Almighty, it went to the top of his development heap at Shady Acres Entertainment, his extremely busy production company. And Shadvac knew from the first who he wanted to make it with. Only one actor could play a man suddenly endowed with the powers of God, with all of the comedic mayhem and heartful drama that ensues. . .Jim Carrey. The fundamental themes of Bruce Almighty were familiar territory to the two friends, who had spent many hours debating the Big Questions. "Jim is kind of a brother to me, notes Shadvac. "A little brother in some ways, and a big brother in other ways.
"We have a great friendship, and Bruce Almighty speaks to our concerns. What is this force called God? What is this force doing in our lives? How do we relate to it? Thematically, the film is ultimately a story about where true power comes from."
Shadyac and Carrey were joined on their quest by Shady Acres partners and fellow producers Michael Bostick and James D. Brubaker, who had collaborated with both on Liar Liar, and were equally enthusiastic about the notion of bringing the story to cinematic life. "Tom so personally responded to its themes," says Bostick, "and based on his track record, it represented a project that’s so far in the Tom Shadyac wheelhouse. It’s a star-driven, high-concept comedy that ultimately has a message about the human condition, which I think is a strand which runs through all his work."
Adds Jim Brtibaker, "Tom’s movies, whether comedies or dramas, are a little bit personal, a little bit spiritual and always about opening the heart."
Bostick also notes that "both Tom and Jim were coming off dramas and keenly interested in getting back into the comedy genre. Jim not only signed on as the star of Bruce Almighty, but also as a producer, and he became intimately involved in the development of the script and then, creatively, every day on set."
As they kicked off pre-production, Shadyac, Bostick and Brubaker began collecting a top-tier team of behind-the-scenes artists, most of them returning to the fold after having worked with the director and/or the producers on previous projects; this stalwart group included Oscar-winning director of photography Dean Semler, production designer Linda DeScenna, costume designer Judy Ruskin Howell, film editor Scott Hill, propmaster Brad Einhorn and many more to follow.
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