Wild Wild West

Wild Wild West
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBarry Sonnenfeld
Screenplay by
Story by
Based onThe Wild Wild West
by Michael Garrison
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMichael Ballhaus
Edited byJim Miller
Music byElmer Bernstein
Production
companies
  • Peters Entertainment
  • Sonnenfeld-Josephson Worldwide Entertainment
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • June 30, 1999 (1999-06-30) (United States)
Running time
106 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$170 million
Box office$222.1 million

Wild Wild West is a 1999 American steampunk Western film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and written by S. S. Wilson and Brent Maddock alongside Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman, based on a story conceived by Jim and John Thomas. Loosely adapted from The Wild Wild West, a 1960s television series created by Michael Garrison, it is the only production in the franchise since the television film More Wild Wild West (1980).

The film stars Will Smith (who previously collaborated with Sonnenfeld on Men in Black two years earlier in 1997) and Kevin Kline as two U.S. Secret Service agents who work together to protect U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant (Kline in a dual role) and the United States from all manner of dangerous threats during the American Old West. The film features a supporting cast consisting of Kenneth Branagh, Salma Hayek and Ted Levine, as well as an orchestral film score by Western film score veteran Elmer Bernstein and extensive visual effects courtesy of Industrial Light & Magic.

Released theatrically in the United States on June 30, 1999 by Warner Bros. and produced on a $170 million budget (making it one of the most expensive films ever made when adjusting for inflation at the time of its release), Wild Wild West was a commercial failure, grossing only $113.8 million domestically and $108.3 million overseas for a worldwide total of $222.1 million. Receiving mixed-to-negative reviews from critics, the film was nominated for eight Razzies and won five at the 20th Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture and Worst Original Song (for the song "Wild Wild West" by Smith).