 It took a lot of negotiating to get Rob Marshall (qv) to direct  this film. Since he directed the hit film _Chicago (2002)_ (qv) for  Miramax, he owed his next film to them. This is a DreamWorks film.  It was only because Miramax and DreamWorks have a long history of  borrowing talent from each other that they were able to work out a  deal.