Romancing the Stone

Romancing the Stone is a 1984 romantic comedy-adventure film directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Diane Thomas and produced by Michael Douglas, who also stars in the film alongside Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. The film follows a romance novelist who must venture beyond her New York City comfort zone to Colombia in order to save her sister from criminals who are holding her for ransom.

Thomas wrote the screenplay in 1979 in what would end up being her only screenplay made into a movie. She died in a car crash a year and a half after the film’s release.

Zemeckis, who at the time was developing Cocoon, liked Thomas’s screenplay and offered to direct but 20th Century Fox initially declined, citing the commercial failure of his first two films I Wanna Hold Your Hand and Used Cars. Studio insiders expected Romancing the Stone to flop to the point that, after viewing a rough cut of the film, the producers of the then-under-development Cocoon fired Zemeckis as director of that film. However, it became a surprise hit after positive reviews from critics and 20th Century Fox’s only big hit of 1984.  The film eventually grossed over US$115 million worldwide, becoming the sixth-highest-grossing film of 1984. Zemeckis later stated that the success of Romancing the Stone allowed him to make Back to the Future (1985).

Alan Silvestri, who would collaborate with Zemeckis on his later films, composed the score.  Eddy Grant wrote and recorded the song “Romancing the Stone” released from his 1984 album Going for Broke.  It was intended for the film but ultimately was used only briefly in the film. Clips from the film appeared in at least one official music video for the song, and the song is mentioned in the film’s closing credits.

Sylvester Stallone was originally considered for the role of Jack T. Colton.  Other leads considered include Burt Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman, and Christopher Reeve for the part of Jack Colton and Debra Winger as Joan Wilder.

A sequel, The Jewel of the Nile, was released in December 1985.