“Encino Man” proved a shock hit for Disney, bringing in $40 million on the field workplace on a $7 million price range. However getting it made within the first place took some work. Author/producer George Zaloom and director Les Mayfield initially approached their former agent, Dan Halsted, who had then stepped into a job as senior VP of manufacturing at Disney’s Hollywood Photos. In line with Inverse‘s oral historical past of the making of “Encino Man,” Halsted’s preliminary response was that the film’s premise was “the stupidest factor [he’d] ever heard.” Fortunately, then-Disney Chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg beloved it and received the ball rolling, even serving to Mayfield and Zaloom safe a “Terminator” reference that was given the OK by Arnold Schwarzenegger himself.

When it got here to casting the all-important position of Hyperlink, Zaloom and Mayfield noticed a number of actors, together with Ben Stiller, who in accordance with Zaloom even display screen examined because the character. “He did a extremely good job. However in some unspecified time in the future, we had seen Brendan [Fraser]. Brendan simply nailed it,” Zaloom defined. 

The story will get just a little muddled right here. In line with Mayfield, whereas Stiller was “completely improbable,” as soon as the beginning dates for “Encino Man” have been confirmed, “there was a battle and he wasn’t accessible.” In the meantime, Zaloom recalled the way it was “arduous to inform Ben that we did not need him,” including that he “want[ed] that did not occur.” Whether or not it was scheduling that compelled Stiller to drop out, or the filmmakers needed to inform him they did not need him after seeing Fraser, it appears the “Meet The Dad and mom” star was about as shut as he may have gotten to securing the position.