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In the latest episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a film that struggled against stiff competition, and a genuine surprise hit.

Tim Burton's Mars Attacks was wrong-footed when the Independence Day trailer landed. But the film's roots went back a very long way.

With Legally Blonde, Reese Witherspoon had been looking for a more commercial film. It took a producer picking up an unsolicited manuscript to put that into motion.

Stories of both are discussed in this episode.

Find Simon on Twitter at @simonbrew, and the podcast can be found at @filmstoriespod.

You can find the Film Stories website here.

Support our work at www.patreon.com/simonbrew.

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