Movies - TV
How Mike Myers Convinced The Studio To Take A Chance On Austin Powers
By JOE ROBERTS
“Austin Powers,” a spy parody that sends up the U.K.'s “Swingin' '60s” culture, wasn't an easy sell in the mid-'90s, despite star Mike Myers’ success with “Wayne's World” and its sequel. However, New Line Cinema, the company that would ultimately make “Austin Powers,” came to believe in the project after Myers visited its offices.
Powers was inspired by Myers’ late father's favorite British cultural figures, and the actor said, “I thought that you would have had to have grown up in my house to like 'Austin Powers,' because it was so specific.” Thankfully, Mike De Luca, then at New Line, believed the movie’s silliness would go over well and optioned the script after Myers did the character, sans costume and props.
Since “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery” debuted, the franchise has spawned two sequels and for a time became part of the cultural lexicon. With his “shagadelic” catchphrases and unrestrained, lovable goofiness, the character was bound to become a hit in retrospect, despite his seemingly obscure influences.