David Brown (producer) debut, for a motion picture. Thereafter, the pair were credited as producers or executive producers of more than a dozen films, including the courtroom drama "The Verdict" (1982), directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Paul Newman; the science-fiction "Cocoon" (1985), directed by Ron Howard; and the comedy-drama "Driving Miss Daisy" (1989), directed by Bruce Beresford and starring Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman. "Driving Miss Daisy" won four Academy Awards, including the Best Picture award. Without Zanuck, Brown went on to produce films including the drama "Angela's Ashes" (1999) and the romance "Chocolat" (2000). He and partner Zanuck were jointly awarded
The Saint (1997 film) film of "The Saint" started with the powerhouse above-the-line team of Robert Evans as producer, Steven Zaillian as writer and Sydney Pollack as director. Ralph Fiennes—hot from "Schindler's List" and "Quiz Show"—was offered $1 million for the lead, but eventually passed. In a 1994 interview for "Premiere" magazine, Fiennes said the screenplay—racing fast cars, breaking into Swiss banks—was nothing he hadn't seen before. Robert Evans left the project—although, contractually, his name remains on the final film's credits—and David Brown ("Jaws", "Driving Miss Daisy") took over. A new story was commissioned from Jonathan Hensleigh ("Die Hard with a Vengeance"), which cast