In 1983, director Alan Rudolph was a fan of The Far Side and, after a meeting over cocktails with Larson, got permission to write a script based on Larson’s bizarre work. In spite of the fact he was writing a script based on comic strips consisting of talking cows, obscure scientific references, beehive hairstyles, and fluffed out marshmallow-bodied people, Rudolph had nothing to lose. After all, he already directed a musical comedy starring Meatloaf, so it couldn’t have gotten worse or weirder.
The script lay dormant until 1986 when House of Lords member David Puttnam was named CEO of Colombia Pictures. Rudolph was outright flummoxed that the movie was greenlit by Puttnam since the Far Side world was incredibly surreal and absurd, but Puttnam loved the script. More importantly, though, he loved the fact that it was cheap to make. But Puttnam was ousted from Colombia Pictures before a deal could be reached.
The hubbub caught the wind of Paramount Pictures, who picked up the ball in 1988 and asked for test stills and sets to grasp at the concept of what a Far Side movie would look like on camera. Rudolph took a gamble and decided to shoot scenes with the actors and the set rather than the stills. Sadly, that gamble didn’t pay off, and Paramount backed out.