: A mousy, "nebbishy" public accountant who realizes that a producer can make more money with a flop than with a hit.
: Considered the "worst director in the business," hired specifically to ensure the show's failure. Quick Facts at a Glance 2001 Musical 2005 Film Leads Zero Mostel & Gene Wilder Nathan Lane & Matthew Broderick Nathan Lane & Matthew Broderick Director Mel Brooks Susan Stroman Susan Stroman Awards Oscar for Original Screenplay 12 Tony Awards Golden Globe Nominations Genre Satirical Black Comedy Musical Comedy Musical Comedy The Producers
: Mel Brooks' directorial debut starring Zero Mostel as Max Bialystock and Gene Wilder as Leo Bloom. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. : A mousy, "nebbishy" public accountant who realizes
: The Swedish bombshell who becomes the duo's receptionist and star performer. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay
: A big-screen adaptation of the stage musical, reuniting the Broadway leads Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick . While it received mixed reviews and struggled at the box office, it remains a faithful record of the stage show's energy. Character Highlights
The franchise spans three major iterations, each maintaining the core plot of a washed-up producer and a nervous accountant trying to produce the worst play ever written: Springtime for Hitler .