The role of Annie Wilkes in 1990's "Misery" allowed Kathy Bates to make the leap from stage to screen. The horror film has a high pedigree with Rob Reiner directing and William Goldman writing the screenplay based on the novel by Stephen King. James Caan also stars as a successful novelist who is rescued from a car wreck by a obsessed fan. Bates won the Oscar for Best Actress and the film also gave new life to Caan's career.
Produced by Reiner, Andrew Scheinman, Jeffrey Stott ands Steve Nicolaides, the movie was made for $20 million and grossed $81.2 million at the box office. Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford, Al Pacino, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Michael Douglas, Dustin Hoffman, Richard Dreyfuss, Gene Hackman, Robert Redford, and Warren Beatty all turned down the role of the writer, sccording to William Goldman.
