Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is a 2002 surreal biographical film depicting the life of popular game show host/producer Chuck Barris, who claimed to have also been an assassin for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Sam Rockwell portrays Barris under the direction of actor George Clooney. Supporting roles are provided by Drew Barrymore, Clooney and Julia Roberts. Columbia Pictures had planned to produce a film adaptation of Barris' memoir in the late 1980s. When the film rights were purchased by producer Andrew Lazar, Charlie Kaufman was commissioned to write a new script, which attracted various A-list actors and filmmakers to the project. After Bryan Singer's version of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind with Johnny Depp in the lead role was canceled in February 2001, actor George Clooney took over directing duties. Barris remained heavily involved in production in an attempt to portray the film from his point of view. To accommodate the $30 million budget, Clooney convinced actresses Drew Barrymore and Julia Roberts to lower their asking prices. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind was released with respectful reviews from critics, but bombed at the box office.