If the grit and spectacle of filmmaking catch your fancy more than actual films (“”Lost in La Mancha,”” anyone?), “”Shortcut to Happiness”” should be right up your alley. Shot in 2001 as a modern adaptation of Stephen Vincent Benet’s 1937 short story “”The Devil and Daniel Webster,”” a rough-hewn draft of the film made it to indie film festivals in 2004 and 2005 – but never quite surpassed post-production.

Add a new studio and title, subtract half an hour of footage and Alec Baldwin’s production credit and you have the most recent incarnation: To turn his career around, struggling writer Jabez Stone (Baldwin) cuts an ill-advised deal with the Devil (Jennifer Love Hewitt). When Stone finds he’s bitten off more than he can chew, he calls on publisher Daniel Webster (Anthony Hopkins) to come to his defense in a supernatural litigation.

If the uneven trailers are any indication – comedy? drama? fantasy? – too many cooks may have spoiled this gouda. But with a peculiar mix of star power (Dan Aykroyd and Kim Cattrall round out the cast), “”Happiness”” should raise at least one eyebrow. July 18.