Editing The Princess Bride (film) (section)

===Development===
Rob Reiner, who had been enamored of Goldman's book ever since he was given it as a gift from [[Carl Reiner|his father]], realized he wanted to make the film adaptation after successfully demonstrating his filmmaking skill with the release of ''[[This Is Spinal Tap]]'' in 1984.<ref name="variety 30th">{{Cite web |last=King |first=Susan |date=September 24, 2017 |title='The Princess Bride' Turns 30: Rob Reiner, Robin Wright, Billy Crystal Dish About Making the Cult Classic |url=https://variety.com/2017/film/features/the-princess-bride-turns-30-1202565060/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230114650/http://variety.com/2017/film/features/the-princess-bride-turns-30-1202565060/ |archive-date=December 30, 2017 |access-date=December 29, 2017 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref> During production of ''[[Stand by Me (film)|Stand by Me]]'', released in 1986, Reiner had spoken to an executive at [[Paramount Pictures]] regarding what his next film would be, and suggested the adaptation of ''The Princess Bride''. He was told they could not, leading Reiner to discover that several studios had previously attempted to bring Goldman's book to the big screen without success.<ref name="variety 30th" />

Those previous attempts included [[20th Century Fox]], which paid Goldman $500,000 for the film rights and to do a screenplay in 1973.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Weiler |first=A. H. |date=September 30, 1973 |title=News of the Screen |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/09/30/archives/news-of-the-screen-brolin-writes-new-prescription-westfall-ready.html |url-status=live |access-date=April 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202153018/http://www.nytimes.com/1973/09/30/archives/news-of-the-screen-brolin-writes-new-prescription-westfall-ready.html |archive-date=December 2, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Haber |first=Joyce |date=September 19, 1973 |title=Schlesinger to Direct West Work |page=d12 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> [[Richard Lester]] was signed to direct and the movie was almost made, but the head of production at Fox was fired and the project was put on hiatus. Goldman subsequently bought back the film rights to the novel with his own money.<ref>Goldman, 2000 pp. 25–26</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Cleese|first= John|title=Professor at Large : the Cornell Years|publisher=Cornell University Press|year= 2018|chapter=Screenwriting Seminar: John Cleese and Bill Goldman October 14, 2000}}</ref>

Other directors had also attempted to adapt the book, including [[François Truffaut]], [[Robert Redford]] and [[Norman Jewison]],<ref name="variety 30th" /> and at one point, [[Christopher Reeve]] was interested in playing Westley in one planned adaptation.<ref>William Goldman, ''The Big Picture?: Who Killed Hollywood and Other Essays'', Applause, 2000 p 189</ref> Reiner found success by gaining financial support from [[Norman Lear]], whom Reiner knew from ''[[All in the Family]]'' and who had funded production of ''This Is Spinal Tap'', with the production to be distributed by 20th Century Fox.<ref name="variety 30th" /><ref>Goldman, 2000 p. 27</ref> Reiner worked closely with Goldman to adapt the book for the screenplay.<ref name="variety 30th" />