N.Y. set in a bidding war
An elaborate set built for the production of Joel and Ethan Coen's "The Hudsucker Proxy" has become the subject of a bidding war in Hollywood, as at least two productions scramble for the right to recycle the $250,000 mock-up of New York.
Conceived by Academy Award-winning set designer Dennis Gassner, built by Mark Stetson and supervised by special effects supervisor Mike McAlister, the set features 13 buildings ranging from 25 feet to 53 feet high -- all done up to look like lower Manhattan in the 1950s.
Executive producer Joel Silver said "Hudsucker" plans always called for the sale of the set after production, as a way to plow a few more bucks back into the negative cost of the movie.
But no one expected producers to hammer down the door of "Hudsucker" co-producer Graham Place.
Late Friday, John Hughes of Hughes Entertainment was bidding on the property for his upcoming 20th Century Fox release "Baby's Day Out" against producers Martin Bregman and Willi Baer for the Universal Pictures release "The Shadow."
The producers of "Hudsucker" hoped to get $ 50,000 for the set, but were happily surprised when bids bolted past $ 100,000. As of Friday, Hughes had the top offer on the table at $ 150,500.
James Cameron has also expressed interest in using the set, though his production plans are farther down the road.
