The Previous Life

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a 2013 adventure comedy-drama film directed, co-produced by and starring Ben Stiller and written by Steve Conrad. The film also stars Kristen Wiig, Shirley MacLaine, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn, and Sean Penn. Though "more of a remake" of the 1947 film of the same name, both are film adaptations of James Thurber's 1939 short story. It follows a maladaptive daydreamer named Walter Mitty on his quest to find a missing negative print and its elusive photojournalist for Life magazine's final print issue. Following a tumultuous production hell that spanned multiple studios, directors and leading actors dating back to 1994, it finally found traction in 2011 with Stiller as director and star of the film. The film premiered at the New York Film Festival on October 5, 2013, and was theatrically released by 20th Century Fox on December 25, 2013, in North America to generally mixed reception, with praise for Stiller's direction, cinematography, and its soundtrack featuring José González. It was chosen by the National Board of Review as one of the top ten films of 2013. In recent years, appeciation for the film has increased and it is now considered by many to be a cult classic.