The Hoax

The Hoax
Theatrical poster
Directed byLasse Hallström
Screenplay byWilliam Wheeler
Based onThe Hoax
by Clifford Irving
Produced byMark Gordon
Bob Yari
Betsy Beers
Leslie Holleran
Joshua D. Maurer
StarringRichard Gere
Alfred Molina
Marcia Gay Harden
Hope Davis
Julie Delpy
Stanley Tucci
CinematographyOliver Stapleton
Edited byAndrew Mondshein
Music byCarter Burwell
Production
companies
Distributed byMiramax Films
Yari Film Group
Release dates
  • October 15, 2006 (2006-10-15) (Rome Film Fest)
  • October 20, 2006 (2006-10-20) (Italy)
  • April 6, 2007 (2007-04-06) (United States)
Running time
116 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25 million[1]
Box office$11,772,461[1]

The Hoax is a 2006 American comedy-drama film starring Richard Gere, directed by Swedish filmmaker Lasse Hallström. The screenplay by William Wheeler is based on the book of the same title by Clifford Irving. It recounts Irving's elaborate hoax of publishing an autobiography of Howard Hughes that he purportedly helped write, without ever having talked with Hughes.

The screenplay was considerably different from the book. Hired as a technical adviser to the film, Irving was displeased with the product and later asked to have his name removed from the credits. It nonetheless earned a positive critical reception, but was a box office bomb, grossing only $11.7 million against a budget of $25 million.

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