Siegfried & Roy to get IMAX-imum exposure

Friday, June 12, 1998 | 10:18 a.m.

Superstars Siegfried & Roy are about to get even bigger.

The Las Vegas showmen begin shooting a large-format IMAX movie this month that will delve into the lives of the cat-loving magicians as well as delving into their conservation efforts to save the white tiger and white lion from extinction. The movie will be released in a year.

"We're certain that the end result will be a world-class production that will thrill and excite audiences everywhere," Siegfried said.

Siegfried & Roy's show, seen by millions visiting the Mirage hotel-casino, is known for its use of white tigers, white lions and even elephants on stage, as well as a panoply of illusions and disappearing acts.

"The life story of Siegfried & Roy is an inspirational, magical journey which proves that if you dream hard enough and big enough, anything can come true," said Brett Leonard, who will direct the movie from a script he wrote with Lyn Vaus. Leonard directed "Lawnmower Man" and "Virtuosity."

Bernie Yuman, the duo's manager, will be a co-executive producer of the film. "The life story of Siegfried & Roy is the material of which classics are made," Yuman said. "Siegfried & Roy's unique and heartfelt story being told on the giant IMAX 3D screen is a project that I have been determined to produce."

Movies in IMAX -- which stands for "maximum image" -- premiered in 1970 and use the largest film frame in motion-picture history, about 10 times the size of conventional 35 mm and three times the size of standard 70 mm formats. IMAX screens measure 50 to 80 feet high and cover roughly 10 times the area of a standard movie theater screen.