The Brooksfilms production — released by Universal Pictures and Columbia Pictures and produced by Mel Brooks and Jonathan Sanger — will then open on 1,200 screens on Dec. 25. The movie musical, which reunites original stage stars Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, will expand further on Friday, Jan. 13, 2006. "The Producers," based on the Tony-winning musical of the same name, stars Lane as Max Bialystock and Broderick as Leo Bloom with Gary Beach as Roger De Bris, Roger Bart as Carmen Ghia, Uma Thurman as Ulla and Will Ferrell as Franz Liebkind.

The original 1968 "The Producers" film about a conniving producer starred Zero Mostel as producer Bialystock and Gene Wilder as Bloom. Others in the cast included Kenneth Mars as Franz Liebkind, Renée Taylor as Eva Braun, Christopher Hewett as Roger De Bris, Lee Meredith as Ulla and Andréas Voutsinas as Carmen Giya. Mel Brooks won an Academy Award for Best Screenplay for "The Producers," and Gene Wilder was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

The Producers, winner of 12 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, continues to play at Broadway's St. James Theatre.