It’s not often that a movie loses two of its stars on the same day, but that’s what happened to The Stepford Wives, a remake of the 1975 sci-fi thriller. John Cusack was set to play Nicole Kidman’s husband, while his sister Joan had been cast as Kidman’s friend. Production had been expected to begin June 2, but in mid-April the Cusacks told the producers they had to drop out because of a family matter. According to a source, their father, actor-screenwriter Richard Cusack, is seriously ill and John and Joan wanted to spend time with him. The Cusack clan, which includes two other sisters and a brother (all actors), is extremely tight-knit. Meanwhile Stepford is back on schedule: Matthew Broderick has been tapped to fill John’s role, and Bette Midler will fill in for Joan.
