Beatty's reputation for directorial profligacy, notably with the critically acclaimed Reds (1981), did not sit well with Disney.Hughes, pp. 52 As a result, Beatty and Disney reached a contracted agreement whereby any budget overruns on Dick Tracy would be deducted from Beatty's fee as producer, director, and star. Beatty and regular collaborator Bo Goldman significantly rewrote the dialogue but lost a Writers Guild arbitration and did not receive screen credit.
