In the latest episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a film that struggled against stiff competition, and a genuine surprise hit. Tim Burton's Mars Attacks was wrong-footed when the Independence Day trailer landed. But the film's roots went back a very long way. With Legally Blonde, Reese Witherspoon had been looking for a more commercial film. It took a producer picking up an unsolicited manuscript to put that into motion. Stories of both are discussed in this episode. Find Simon on Twitter at @simonbrew, and the podcast can be found at @filmstoriespod. You can find the Film Stories website here. Support our work at www.patreon.com/simonbrew. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.