Ball did not expect to sell the script , believing it would act as more of a calling card , but American Beauty drew interest from several production bodies . Cannava passed the script to several producers , including Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen , who took it to DreamWorks . With the help of executives Glenn Williamson and Bob Cooper , and Steven Spielberg in his capacity as studio partner , Ball was convinced to develop the project at DreamWorks ; he received assurances from the studio — known at the time for its more conventional fare — that it would not " iron the [ edges ] out " . In an unusual move , DreamWorks decided not to option the script ; instead , in April 1998 , the studio bought it outright for $ 250 @,@ 000 , outbidding Fox Searchlight Pictures , October Films , Metro @-@ Goldwyn @-@ Mayer , and Lakeshore Entertainment . DreamWorks planned to make the film for $ 6 – 8 million .