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In 1993, Steven Spielberg tried to give away ‘Schindler’s List’ to a different director. They didn’t want it
Steven Spielberg initially doubted whether he was ready to direct Schindler’s List, so he offered the project to other filmmakers, including Roman Polanski. Polanski declined because the Holocaust story was too personal: his mother was killed at Auschwitz, while he escaped the Kraków Ghetto as a child.
The film was based on Thomas Keneally’s Booker Prize-winning novel Schindler’s Ark, inspired by the efforts of Holocaust survivor Poldek Pfefferberg to bring Oskar Schindler’s story to the screen. Liam Neeson ultimately played Schindler; Mel Gibson was considered, but Spielberg wanted someone who was not a major film star. Spielberg made the film in 1993, the same year as Jurassic Park, and it won seven Academy Awards.
In short
- Spielberg offered Schindler’s List to Roman Polanski.
- Polanski declined because of his family’s Holocaust history.
- Liam Neeson took the lead after Spielberg rejected a major star.