> At a Glance
> – Director Craig Brewer says multiple studios passed on the true-story film
> – Executives feared audiences wouldn’t connect with Midwestern leads
> – Why it matters: Brewer’s experience highlights ongoing regional bias in Hollywood
Craig Brewer’s latest movie, Song Sung Blue, landed in theaters only after every major studio said no. The filmmaker told Variety that executives recoiled at the Milwaukee-set story of tribute singers Mike and Claire Sardina.
The Rejection Trail
Brewer recalled blunt responses: “Everyone said no, and they were very, very vocal in saying no.” Objections centered on the couple’s working-class home and lifestyle.
> “They’d say, ‘Well, their house is cluttered and dirty.’ I was like, ‘Well, wait a minute. Hold on. These are some magical people. These are the type of people that I’m related to.'”
Focus Features and Universal eventually financed the picture, which stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson as the Lightning & Thunder duo.
Pattern of Regional Pushback
The Memphis native says bias is nothing new for him:
- Past notes claimed “African American stories don’t travel overseas”
- Southern accents were deemed box-office poison
- Executives cited Forrest Gump as an exception, not the rule
> “My whole career has been focused on two avenues, Southerners and African American stories,” Brewer said, adding that each new pitch meets the same skepticism.
Song Sung Blue breaks his usual mold-no Southern drawls, largely White cast-yet the stigma persisted.
Star Power Validation
**Kate Hudson, 46, scored a Golden Globe nomination for playing Claire. She met the real woman on set and called the experience “wonderful.”
Hugh Jackman, 57, portrays Mike, who died in 2006. Hudson told W Magazine, “You can’t believe what these people went through.”
Key Takeaways
- Brewer faced unanimous studio rejections before Focus Features stepped in
- Objections focused on perceived audience dislike of Midwestern characters
- Hudson’s awards-season nod undercuts the studios’ assumptions
The film’s release offers a rebuttal to the notion that heartland stories can’t captivate wide audiences.
