With the trailer for Bill Hader’s animated The Cat in the Hat crashing its way to the web, we can expect just the sort of calamity shown in Dr. Seuss’ original book. But the story behind 2003’s The Cat in the Hat – wherein Mike Myers played the titular nuisance – is a bit more chaotic than anything the feline could inflict. Seriously, how in the hell did Mike Myers get sucked into starring in The Cat in the Hat? The answer lies with Saturday Night Live and a series of lawsuits.
Not every SNL character deserves a movie, but Mike Myers was pushing for one that centered on Dieter, the host of West German talk show Sprockets. Set up at Universal during his post-Austin Powers bump, the movie would have been Myers’s third SNL tie-in after the Wayne’s World flicks. However, Myers was completely dissatisfied with his own screenplay and pulled the plug, resulting in Universal suing the comedian to the tune of $3.8 million, with Imagine Entertainment later jumping in. Myers swatted back, claiming in his countersuit that he was given final approval of the script…which he didn’t approve of.
Eventually, Myers and the studios settled, with the actor stating, “In regard to the resolution, I’m glad to put all of this behind me, and I’m looking forward to doing a movie that we can all be proud of.” And that movie that Mike Myers, Universal and Imagine could all be proud of was The Cat in the Hat, which ended up being one of the worst movies of its day and could’ve nabbed the Razzie for Worst Picture if it weren’t for a little movie called Gigli…
More than 20 years on, Mike Myers’ The Cat in the Hat is far from being a cult classic but it has developed a litter of followers who appreciate the absolute madness on the screen and the production design (its director, Bo Welch, did work in that department for Ed Burton, Barry Sonnenfeld and more). Hader’s version won’t hit theaters until February 27th, 2026, so why not find 82 minutes between now and then to see for yourself if 2003’s The Cat in the Hat is truly a hairball?
