Sunset Boulevard

wilder and charles brackett wrote the script for paramount in 1948, telling the studio they were adapting a nonexistent short story called a can of beans to avoid interference during production. montgomery clift signed for $5,000 a week but dropped out days before filming, forcing wilder to cast william holden, who was paid $39,000 against clift's original $60,000 offer. wilder approached mae west and mary pickford for norma desmond before casting gloria swanson, who hesitated at doing a screen test until george cukor told her the role would define her legacy.