Eisner sought out Martin Brest to direct the film, but Brest declined as he was unsure he could get the necessary performances out of young actors. Other directors who declined were Sydney Pollack, Rob Reiner and Paul Brickman. Universal Pictures, who had signed on to distribute the film, expressed concern that no director had yet come on board, so Eisner halved the film's initial $20 million budget and hired Peter Horton to direct.
