Jerry Bruckheimer Sails to the Top

Super Producer Talks With ABC's Joel Siegel

ByABC News
May 18, 2007, 2:11 PM

May 18, 2007 -- What do you call the guy in the movie who almost never appears on camera, whose voice you never hear but who has his fingers on virtually every aspect of the picture? The producer. It's a mystery position to a lot of people outside the business, but in some ways it's the most important person in the whole deal.

And Jerry Bruckheimer could be the most important producer in Hollywood. He's behind some of the most successful shows on television ("CSI," "Without a Trace," "The Amazing Race") and some of the biggest blockbusters in Hollywood history ("Top Gun," "Flashdance," "Armageddon"). But for Bruckheimer, at the end of the day it's about the audience.

"It's the greatest thing for me that when our pictures open I can watch people laugh, applaud and cry," said Bruckheimer.

Telling stories and being part of a creative team has always been part of the magic of movie making. Bruckheimer recalls casting Jennifer Beals as the lead in "Flashdance" and gathering the parts that made that movie so special. "I see myself not as a producer, but as a collector. I collect all these wonderful talents and surround myself with it."

"Flashdance" was in the early stage of Bruckheimer's career. It was followed soon after by a film that broke a number of records, "Beverly Hills Cop." It's hard to imagine, but Sylvester Stallone was originally the lead before ballooning budgets made him part from the project and produce his own cop movie "Cobra." Eddie Murphy picked up lead duties for "Beverly Hills Cop," making movie history.

These silver screen goliaths weren't isolated hits. Through the years, Bruckheimer's had his hand in "Bad Boys" with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, "Con Air," "Black Hawk Down" and other action/adventure films. ABC's Joel Siegel summed it up, saying: "All of his movies seem to have something in common? They're fun to watch."

The most recent success story in this long career, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series, almost didn't happen. Bruckheimer remembers when it was first pitched to him: "I'm thinking to myself: 'There goes my career! A movie about a theme park ride? It's over!'"