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Owned by Jagger. In the new documentary “Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror,” creator Richard O’Brien revealed that Mick Jagger and his team tried to buy the film rights to “The
Rocky Horror Picture Show” after the stage show made its US debut in 1974. But director Jim Sharman advised that they shouldn’t go for Jagger’s deal, and with producer Lou Adler’s help, they
created the film without a big name attached. “One of the great things about this is that we were a fringe theater event, and we were allowed to make a movie,” O’Brien, 83, said in the doc,
according to People. EXPLORE MORE “Not only that, but Jim was allowed to direct it. Not only that, but Brian Thompson was allowed to be the artistic director. Not only that, but Tim [Curry]
was allowed to play the lead role,” the famous producer continued. “That’s very rare, especially when it’s America and a Hollywood matter.” Patricia Quinn, who played Magenta in the
original stage play and the 1975 film adaptation, revealed that Jagger, 81, was also interested in Curry’s role in the movie. [There were] three people who wanted to play [Dr.
Frank-N-Furter] — Mick Jagger, Lou Reed and, of course, David Bowie,” Quinn, 81, recalled. “[They said] no Mick Jaggers, no Bowies, I’m having the original cast,” she added. As revealed in
the doc, “The Rocky Horror Show” made it to the big screen after producers Adler, 91, and Michael White made a $1 million deal with the studio. They agreed to present their own funds if the
film didn’t make that amount, per People. “From the beginning, I had the feeling it was an event and something very, very special by the cast and the music, immediately,” Adler recalled of
the original stage production, which premiered in London in 1973. “Enough so that I wanted to make a deal that night,” he added. Adler also said that The Roxy in Los Angeles was the
“perfect” location for the show’s debut in America. “Sort of like cabaret, that you could go beyond sitting in a theater but you could enjoy the whole experience of it. And in the back of my
mind, I just envisioned it as a film pretty much from the beginning,” Adler shared. He continued, “The casting for the Roxy, we had some very, very talented people, most of who were local
actors. I thought pretty much I couldn’t duplicate Tim Curry. That was somebody we had to bring over, and that went for Richard also. But not only the fact that you’re getting the actor that
was in it, you’re getting the creator.” Adler recalled that the first “Rocky Horror Show” show in LA was “something really special.” “We had a turnout of the rock ‘n’ roll celebrities, the
John Lennons and everyone wanted to be there for it,” he said.