The Truman Show is a 1998 American psychological comedy drama film[4] written and co-produced by Andrew Niccol, and directed by Peter Weir.
The film's star character is Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank, a man who grows up living an ordinary life that—unbeknownst to him—takes place on a large set populated by actors for a reality television show about him. Its supporting cast includes Laura Linney, Ed Harris, Noah Emmerich, Natascha McElhone, Holland Taylor, Paul Giamatti, and Brian Delate.
Unlike the finished product, Niccol's spec script was more of a science-fiction thriller, with the story set in New York City. One of the producers Scott Rudin purchased the script and set up production at Paramount Pictures. Brian De Palma was to direct before Weir signed as director, making the film for $60 million—$20 million less than the original estimate. Niccol rewrote the script while the crew was waiting for Carrey to sign. The majority of filming took place at Seaside, Florida, a master-planned community located in the Florida Panhandle.
The Truman Show held its world premiere in Los Angeles on June 1, 1998, and was released in North America on June 5. The film was a financial success, grossing $264 million worldwide, debuting to critical acclaim, and earned numerous nominations at the 71st Academy Awards, 56th Golden Globe Awards, 52nd British Academy Film Awards, and 25th Saturn Awards. The Truman Show has been analyzed as an exploration of simulated reality, existentialism, surveillance, metaphilosophy, privacy, and reality television, and described as a genre-blending work that features elements of dystopian fiction, meta fiction, psychological drama, romantic comedy, satire, and social science fiction.
