FIERCE CREATURES

Fierce Creatures reunited the cast of A Fish Called Wanda to tell a new story, inspired by a very old idea of Michael Palin and Terry Jones' about a zoo which only shows fierce creatures ... John Cleese had an idea inspired by the concept, and in return for the idea he appeared in Jones' next film (The Wind in the Willows) for free. The film stars John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Palin and Kevin Kline, who plays two characters in the film, a father and a son. Other cast members of A Fish Called Wanda appear, including Maria Aitken and Cleese's daughter Cynthia. Ronnie Corbett also appears (the British comedy legend and Cleese's old friend from The Frost Report). Filming wrapped up in January 1996, but the ending of Fierce Creatures was reshot after test audiences (and John Cleese himself) didn't take to the original ending, which had Kevin Kline's (younger) character killed by a rhino. Original director Robert Young refused to reshoot the film, and so acclaimed director Fred Schepsi ('Six Degrees of Separation', 'Roxanne') was brought in for 10-15 minutes of footage that had to be re-shot. However by that time the cast had all gone off on other projects (Palin shooting a new travel documentary), and could not re-assemble till August when the filming was done and completed. Test audience results were positive over the new version. Kline also played his own mother (!), in a scene deleted from the final cut. John Cleese and Michael Palin hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live while promoting the film, performing a version of the Dead Parrot sketch. A sketch with Cleese as God was cut from the episode, although Palin was fond of this sketch.

Fierce Creatures - Plot: Re-unites the cast, but not the characters of the smash hit comedy 'A Fish Called Wanda'. In this movie, a massive corporate conglomerate purchases a failing London Marwood Zoo. To bring in more business, the company hires a new manager named Rollo Lee, who promptly comes up with a way to increase profits - do away with all the animals except for the ferocious ones. This new policy shocks the zookeepers, so the Chairman's son Vince, along with rising executive Willa Weston, take control of the zoo and revoke the Fierce Creatures Policy. Vince instead comes up with many under-handed schemes to attract customers, but is secretly stealing funds and plans to turn the place into a Japanese Golf Course. Meanwhile, Willa has grown to love the zoo and its animals, and, along with her newly-reformed love interest Rollo, plot with the zookeepers to save the zoo from the McCains.


Photos from Fierce Creatures

Don't Pet Them!

CAST:

John Cleese.............Rollo Lee
Jamie Lee Curtis.....Willa Weston
Kevin Kline............Rod McCain/Vince McCain
Michael Palin..........Adrian 'Bugsy' Malone
Robert Lindsay.......Sydney Lotterby
Ronnie Corbett.......Reggie Sea Lions
Carey Lowell..........Cub
Derek Griffiths........Gerry Ungulates
Maria Aitken..........Di Harding
Richard Ridings......Hugh Primates
Cynthia Cleese.......Pip

CREW:

Directors...............Fred Schepsi
...............................Robert Young
Producers..............John Cleese
...............................Michael Shamberg
Writers..................John Cleese
...............................Ian Johnston
Editor.....................John Jympson
Cinematography....Ian Baker
...............................Adrian Biddle
Prod. Design..........Roger Murray-Leech
Music.....................Jerry Goldsmith

RELEASE DATES:
USA - Jan. 24th 1997, UK - Jan. 31st 1997
Australia - Jan. 23rd 1997, France - Feb. 19th 1997
Germany - June 19th 1997, Japan - Sept. 27th 1997
New Zealand - Feb. 13th 1997, Singapore - Mar. 27th 1997