The Singing Detective is a 2003 musical/psychological drama-comedy based on the acclaimed BBC serial The Singing Detective, a work by famous British writer Dennis Potter and directed by Keith Gordon. It stars Robert Downey, Jr. and features an expansive supporting cast that includes Katie Holmes, Adrien Brody, Robin Wright Penn, and Mel Gibson, as well as a number of famous songs from the 1950s. Suffering from the skin disease psoriasis and crippling psoriatic arthritis, detective novelist Dan Dark is in such pain in a hospital that he begins to delve into fantasy, resulting in several... storylines told simultaneously: Potter's screenplay had been circulating in Hollywood for many years as Potter was enthusiastic about a film version. Robert Altman was at one time attached to direct with Dustin Hoffman in the lead, but financing proved difficult and the production was shelved. It was eventually discovered by an executive at Mel Gibson's production company, who loved it and got Gibson on board to produce. The screenplay had also been imagined as a movie directed by horror veteran David Cronenberg and starring Al Pacino as the title character. The film scored 5.
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| Release date: | January 17, 2003 |
| Directed by: | Keith Gordon |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 109 Minutes |
| Producer: | Mel Gibson, Steven Haft, Bruce Davey |
| Editor: | Jeff Wishengrad |
| Cinematography: | Tom Richmond |
| Screenplay by: | Dennis Potter |
| Estimated budget: | $8,000,000 |
| Adapted from: | The Singing Detective |
| Genre: | Musical, Comedy, Thriller |