Mike Myerswas a fixture onSaturday Night Livein the late ’80s and early ’90s. Some of his most iconic characters included the TV host Dieter,Coffee Talkemcee Linda Richman, and, of course, Wayne inWayne’s Worldopposite Dana Carvey’s Garth.Wayne’s Worldspawned two feature films, both of which were arguably the most successful inSNL’s history. But another of Myers' characters almost made the big screen as well.
A film tentatively titledDieter’s Day, based on Myers' German host of the showSprockets, was set for an early 2000s release. However, Myers himself canceled the film after expressing dissatisfaction with the script. That set off a series of lawsuits against Myers by Universal Pictures to recoup their lost production costs. As part of the settlement, Myers and Universal agreed to make another film years later. That film wound up beingThe Cat in the Hat, one of the worst marks on this comic legend’s otherwise-solid track record. Its failure even reportedly doomed all future live-action adaptations of Dr. Seuss books. What went wrong with the Dieter film, and how did it lead to something arguably far worse?
The Planned ‘Dieter’s Day’ Film
Dieter was one of Myers' mostbelovedSNLcharacters. Curiously, most of his characters hosted their own television programs. Dieter, Wayne Campbell, Linda Richman, Simon (the bathtub guy), and Lank Thompson were all emcees of something. Dieter’sSprocketsparodied elements of German culture, like their overall “seriousness.” Myers' turtleneck-wearing host interviewed celebrities and made no attempt to hide his disinterest in them. Several of his quotes, including “touch my monkey,” made it into theSaturday Night Livelexicon.
Plans for theDieter’s Dayfilm began in the late ’90s. It would likely have been the eleventhSaturday Night Livefilm, and the third to star Myers (after the twoWayne’s Worldmovies). He was set to star alongside David Hasselhoff, Jack Black, and fellowSNLstar Will Ferrell. However, the project was abandoned in June 2000 after Myers backed out. He expressed dissatisfaction with the script, though it’s worth noting that Myers himself wrote the script. It’s not clear what the plot would have entailed, but we can assume it wasn’t good. By that point, Universal Pictures had already sunk several million dollars into pre-production costs. They understandably weren’t happy with Myers' decision to back out, and a legal battle kicked off.
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Universal sued Myers for approximately $3.8 million dollars in pre-production costs. Soon after, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment sued Myers for upwards of $30 million. The lawsuit cited Myers' rejection of his own script, as well as a reported pattern of breaking previous agreed-upon deals. In response, Myers countersued both Universal and Imagine. The lawsuits were all settled out of court at a later date.
‘The Cat in the Hat’ Solves Mike Myers' Legal Spat
As part of the settlement, Myers and plannedDieter’s Daydirector Bo Welch agreed to make another flick with Universal and Imagine at some point in the future. Around that time,The Cat in the Hatlive-action movie was taking shape. Tim Allen was considered for the lead role, as were Will Ferrell, Billy Bob Thornton, Jerry Seinfeld, and even Myers’Wayne’s Worldpartner Dana Carvey. After talks fell through, Grazer remembered the legal arrangement with Myers, and he was given the lead in 2002. Welch also came aboard as director.
There was enthusiasm at first, with Myers highlighting his admiration for the original Dr. Seuss book.The Cat in the Hatseemed to fix all of that. But everything fell apart soon after.The Cat in the Hatwas a box office splat, drawing just $134 million against a $109 million budget. The film itself and Myers' performance were torn apart, with the leading man’s contempt for the part on full display. Compare that toJim Carrey inHow the Grinch Stole Christmas. That movie was similarly criticized, but Carrey was having the time of his life as the leading man.
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Some contemporary reviews have paintedCatin a better light. The weird and crude humor was just a little too ahead of its time in 2003. Things might have been different had the film been released now. But back then,The Cat in the Hatjust really fell flat. Dr. Seuss' widow, Audrey Geisel, refused to approve any future live-action adaptations of her late husband’s work afterCat.Every Dr. Seuss moviesince then has been animated.
So would Myers have been better off just making the Dieter film in the first place? He was on a high in the late ’90s and early 2000s, withAustin PowersandShrektaking hold of the world. His twoWayne’s Worldmovies are regarded as the best thatSaturday Night Livehas to offer. But those two and the 1980Blues Brothersare the onlySNLfilms that sit above 50% on Rotten Tomatoes. All the others were huge failures, with Julia Sweeney’sIt’s Pateven enjoying that rare 0% score. So we can’t really say whether Dieter would have been a hit. But Myers' hatred of his own script isn’t exactly a confidence booster. One thing we do know is thatThe Cat in the Hatwas treated a little too harshly, and maybe it’s worth a second look 20 years later.
The Cat in the Hatis available to stream with VOD on Prime Video and Apple TV.
