Jerry Maguire is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama sports film written, produced, and directed by Cameron Crowe, and stars Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger, and Regina King. Produced in part by long time Simpsons producer James L. Brooks, it was inspired by sports agent Leigh Steinberg, who acted as technical consultant on the crew and his client Tim McDonald during the 1993 NFL Free Agency. In addition, a 28-page memo distributed at Disney in 1991 written by Jeffrey Katzenberg provided inspiration for the film. It was released in North American theaters on December 13, 1996, produced by Gracie Films and distributed by TriStar Pictures.