The Cable Guy won by Columbia Pictures at a price of $1 million. The role of the Cable Guy was originally written for Chris Farley, who turned it down due to scheduling difficulties. Jim Carrey joined the production, receiving a then record $20 million to star. Following Carrey's signing, Columbia hired Judd Apatow to produce. The studio rebuffed Apatow's interest in directing, but accepted his suggestion to invite Ben Stiller, star of his eponymous show on which Apatow had worked. The original screenplay by Lou Holtz, Jr. was a lighter comedy, described by Apatow as "a "What About Bob?" annoying friend movie" where
Guy Ritchie Guy Ritchie Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 10 September 1968) is an English filmmaker, businessman and occasional actor, known for his crime films. He left secondary school and got entry-level jobs in the film industry in the mid-1990s. Ritchie eventually went on to direct commercials. In 1995, he directed his first film, "The Hard Case", a 20-minute short that impressed investors who backed his first feature film, the crime comedy "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" (1998). He then directed another crime comedy, "Snatch" (2000). Ritchie's other films include "Revolver" (2005), "RocknRolla" (2008), "Sherlock Holmes" (2009), and its sequel "" (2011).