Moviefone Editorial

Author: Jesse Schedeen

  • 7 ‘Star Wars’ Prequel Characters Who Got Better After the Movies

    7 ‘Star Wars’ Prequel Characters Who Got Better After the Movies

    Lucasfilm

    Not all “Star Wars” fans were thrilled with the execution of George Lucas‘ prequel trilogy. While those movies were praised for their special effects and epic battle sequences, they were also criticized for wooden acting and some very underdeveloped characters.

    The good news is that the “Star Wars” saga is about more than just movies now. There’s an entire universe of animated TV series, novels and comics that expand on the source material. Many characters who weren’t given their proper due in the prequels got a second chance at life elsewhere. Here are seven prequel favorites who got better after “Revenge of the Sith” capped off the trilogy. And no, Jar Jar Binks isn’t one of them. Meesa sorry.

    Darth Maul

    Lucasfilm

    Darth Maul is truly the Boba Fett of the Prequels. He may have looked cool, but he didn’t get a chance to actually do much before dying a grisly death at the end of “The Phantom Menace.”

    Though as many viewers of “Solo: A Star Wars Story” were surprised to learn, Maul didn’t die on Naboo at all. The animated series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” revealed that Maul’s hatred of Obi-Wan Kenobi kept him alive long enough to be reunited with his long-lost brother, Savage Opress, and healed by a sorceress named Mother Talzen. Maul became a recurring antagonist in “The Clone Wars,” forming an army of his own and seeking vengeance against both Obi-Wan and Darth Sidious.

    Maul’s story continued in the followup series “Star Wars Rebels,” showing that his feud against Obi-Wan continued until surprisingly close to the events of “A New Hope.” “Rebels” capped off Maul’s story on a wonderfully emotional note, transforming Maul into one of the more tragic figures in the “Star Wars” mythos.

    Jocasta Nu

    Lucasfilm/Marvel Comics

    “Attack of the Clones” introduced Jocasta Nu as the stern librarian in charge of the Jedi archives. She was never given much attention beyond that, and most fans probably assumed she was among the first to die during the Jedi Purge.

    As it turns out, Jocasta is far tougher than we ever gave her credit. Marvel’s recent “Star Wars: Darth Vader” comic revealed that Jocasta managed to survive the Purge and go underground. She resurfaced only to carry out a dangerous mission to prevent Vader and the Emperor from uncovering secret records indicating the locations of Force-sensitive babies across the galaxy.

    That series showed that Jocasta is every bit the badass warrior the rest of the Jedi were, and it also allowed her to play a crucial role in defeating the Empire and ensuring the Jedi would one day return.

    The Clonetroopers

    Lucasfilm

    In the movies, the Clonetropers were basically just cannon fodder, identical grunts designed to fight a war whose outcome was predetermined. The goal was never to explore the inner lives of clones or how they felt about fighting or dying for the Republic.

    That’s where shows like “The Clone Wars” and “Rebels” come in. These projects fleshed out the Clonetroopers in a way the movies never could. Fans got a chance to connect with individual soldiers like Captain Rex, Commander Cody, Echo and Fives and experience the war from the ground level. These shows proved that not all clones were blindly loyal to their creators, and some even went rogue and joined the Rebel Alliance.

    Darth Plagueis

    Lucasfilm/Del Rey

    Emperor Palpatine’s mysterious Sith mentor is only ever mentioned in the Prequels. Palpatine offers an intriguing account of the Sith Lord so gifted in the ways of the Dark Side that he could create life. But if you actually want a sense of who Darth Plagueis was, what motivated him and why Palpatine murdered his mentor, you need to read James Luceno’s novel “Darth Plagueis.” That book offers a full accounting of Plagueis’ career as a Sith Lord, while also offering fans a more detailed origin story for Palpatine than they had ever seen before.

    Technically, this novel is no longer part of Disney’s official “Star Wars” continuity. And with Palpatine apparently making his return in “The Rise of Skywalker,” we may get a very different account of his history with Plagueis. Even so, this book helps shed light on one of the most mysterious and compelling figures in the franchise.

    Auura Sing

    Lucasfilm

    The enigmatic bounty hunter Aurra Sing was one of several new characters to catch the eyes of fans when the buildup to “The Phantom Menace” began. Unfortunately, her actual role in the movie amounted to a “blink and you’ll miss it” cameo during the podrace sequence.

    Fortunately, Aurra took on new life in the Expanded Universe fiction, and she also played a key role in “The Clone Wars.” Several episodes of that series show Aurra mentoring a young Boba Fett, showing just how crucial she was in helping the son of the legendary Jango Fett become the most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy. That almost makes up for her off-screen death in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”

    Mace Windu

    Lucasfilm/Del Ray

    Samuel L. Jackson‘s Mace Windu got a few cool scenes in the Prequel Trilogy, were he beheaded Jango Fett and nearly defeated the mighty Darth Sidious. But the movies never give much sense of who Mace is, where he came from or what makes this particular Jedi Master tick.

    That’s where the books, comics and novels come in. Mace plays a recurring role in “The Clone Wars” and recently starred in his own Marvel Comics series. But for anyone who truly wants to know more about the character, you’ll find no better outlet than Matthew Stover’s novel “Star Wars: Shatterpoint.” This book chronicles one of Mace’s most important missions during the Clone Wars and offers compelling insight into his relationship with the Force.

    Count Dooku

    Lucasfilm

    It’s easy to forget just how little Christopher Lee’s Count Dooku actually appears in the Prequels. He only shows up in the last act of “Attack of the Clones” and is killed off early into “Revenge of the Sith.” Who is this man who once numbered among the greatest Jedi Masters before falling to the Dark Side and helping Palpatine orchestrate the war?

    While Dooku’s past remains shrouded in mystery even now, he did experience some much-needed growth thanks to “The Clone Wars.” The series showed the many encounters Dooku had with the Jedi that we never saw on the big screen. It also greatly expanded on the relationship between Dooku and Palpatine, showing that Dooku had his own Sith apprentices and his own designs for the galaxy. Had Palpatine not brought about Dooku’s death, he may have been faced with a worthy challenger to his throne.

  • 11 Things You Never Knew About ‘The Brothers Bloom’ on its 10th Anniversary

    11 Things You Never Knew About ‘The Brothers Bloom’ on its 10th Anniversary

    Summit Entertainment

    After director Rian Johnson made his critically beloved debut in “Brick,” but before he became the man who either saved or ruined “Star Wars” (depending whom you ask), he gave us “The Brothers Bloom.” This goofy crime movie helped further cement Johnson as a rising star in Hollywood. Celebrate the tenth anniversary of Johnson’s sophomore film some fun trivia about the making of “The Brothers Bloom.”

    1. Johnson began developing “The Brothers Bloom” several years before Brick materialized. He’s cited 1973’s “Paper Moon” as his biggest influence on the film.

    2. The screenplay was included in the 2006 Black List, a roundup of the most acclaimed scripts yet to be produced.

    Summit Entertainment

    3. While the film isn’t strictly based on any existing works, the main three characters are all inspired by characters from James Joyce’s “Ulysses.”

    4. Johnson originally wanted Mark Ruffalo to play Bloom Bloom instead of Stephen Bloom. Ruffalo and Adrien Brody convinced him to swap their roles.

    Summit Entertainment

    5. Johnson intended from the beginning for Bang Bang to have little or no dialogue. Not counting the karaoke scene, Rinko Kikuchi only speaks three words over the course of the entire movie.

    6. Penelope’s home is actually the Peleș Castle, which is located in Sinaia, Romania.

    Summit Entertainment

    7. Ricky Jay, who provides the voice of the narrator, is actually a skilled sleight of hand magician himself. Johnson originally wanted to cast Jay as Maximillen Melville, but Jay’s busy schedule made that impossible.

    8. Rachel Weisz spent weeks ensuring she could convincingly perform Penelope’s numerous talents in the film. That included recruiting Brody’s help in learning how to skateboard.

    Summit Entertainment

    9. Weisz eventually became skilled enough at card tricks to perform the single-take trick scene on her own with no assistance or digital manipulation.

    10. The reason Tom Cruise is given a “special thanks” credit in the film is because Cruise expressed an early interest in the project. While Cruise never officially became involved with “The Brothers Bloom,” Johnson has said his detailed feedback significantly improved the final script.

    Paramount Pictures

    11. Johnson brought back “Brick” stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lukas Haas to play cameo roles in the bar scene early in the film.

  • 17 Things You Never Knew About ‘Apocalypse Now’ on its 40th Anniversary

    17 Things You Never Knew About ‘Apocalypse Now’ on its 40th Anniversary

    United Artists

    It’s now been 40 years since Francis Ford Coppola gave us one of the greatest and most mind-bending war movies of all time. “Apocalypse Now” has lost none of its power over the decades. So strap on your helmet and head up-river to learn some interesting trivia about the background and infamously troubled production of “Apocalypse Now.”

    1. Writer John Milius listened exclusively to music by The Doors and Richard Wagner while he worked on the screenplay. Milius said he believed The Doors to be “the music of war,” a fact which greatly upset the members of the band.

    2. The majority of the dialogue had to be re-recorded during post-production, as the jungle environments and heavy background noise made much of the original dialogue impossible to use.

    3. Coppola originally offered the role of Captain Willard to “The Godfather” star Al Pacino. Pacino declined, telling Coppola he had no interest in spending months shooting in a swamp.

    Paramount Pictures

    4. Pacino was also one of several actors Coppola considered as a potential replacement for Marlon Brando, who repeatedly threatened to quit.

    5. Harvey Keitel was originally cast as Willard and was fired after two weeks of filming. At least one shot of Keitel’s Willard made it into the final version of the film.

    6. Martin Sheen largely improvised the scene where Willard has a meltdown in his hotel room. Sheen was heavily intoxicated and actually cut his hand when he punched the mirror.

    United Artists

    7. Sheen’s brother Joe Estevez plays an essential but uncredited role in the movie. Estevez served as a stand-in for his brother while Sheen was recuperating from a heart attack, and also provided the voice-over work for a large portion of Captain Willard’s narration.

    8. Coppola opted to frame Colonel Kurtz in shadow for most of his scenes, mainly to hide the fact that Brando arrived on-set extremely overweight.

    United Artists

    9. The friction between Brando and Coppola became so great that Assistant Director Jerry Ziesmer eventually took over filming for Brando’s scenes.

    10. Harrison Ford specifically chose his character’s name, “G. Lucas,” in tribute to “Star Wars” and “American Graffiti” director George Lucas. Lucas was once slated to direct “Apocalypse Now” himself, which he envisioned as a faux-documentary.

    11. The film’s famously disaster-ridden production is chronicled in the 1991 documentary “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse.” The production went so far over budget that Coppola was forced to mortgage his house and winery in order to finish filming.

    Triton Pictures

    12. Widespread drug abuse was another major problem during filming. Dennis Hopper reportedly caused a teenage Laurence Fishburne to become addicted to heroin.

    13. Because the film includes no opening title card or credits, Coppola needed to include the shot of the graffiti tag “Our Motto: Apocalypse Now” in order to ensure the film could be copyrighted.

    United Artists

    14. The American Humane Association slammed the film with an “Unacceptable” rating after it was discovered the scene where the water buffalo is slaughtered was actually real.

    15. Coppola repeatedly struggled with his vision for the ending of the movie. Originally, the screenplay ended with Kurtz convincing Willard to join him and both men dying in a military airstrike, but Coppola opted for a less depressing finale.

    United Artists

    16. There are several alternate versions of the film in existence. 2001’s “Apocalypse Now Redux” adds 49 minutes of deleted footage, including the lengthy sequence where Willard and his crew encounter the French plantation owners. A bootleg workprint cut includes even more deleted footage, such as a death scene for Hopper’s character.

    17. 2019 will see the release of “Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut,” a 4K restoration that cuts roughly 20 minutes of footage that was added to “Redux.”

  • 15 Things You Never Knew About ‘Star Trek’ on its 10th Anniversary

    15 Things You Never Knew About ‘Star Trek’ on its 10th Anniversary

    Paramount Pictures

    It’s now been ten years since Paramount Pictures rebooted one of the greatest sci-fi franchises of all time and gave us a brand new “Star Trek.” This film helped reinvigorate the franchise and made stars out of the likes of Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana. While we continue the wait for a a fourth movie that may never happen, enjoy this fun trivia about the making of this epic reboot.

    1. The origins of the reboot can be traced as far back as 1968, when “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry announced at a fan convention his plans to create a movie prequel detailing the formation of the Enterprise crew.

    2. Before this film materialized, Paramount was developing a different reboot called “Star Trek: The Beginning.” This version would have been set during the Earth-Romulan War and centered around Kirk’s ancestor Tiberius Chase.

    Paramount Pictures

    3. The crew relied on an abandoned Budweiser plant factories to depict the cluttered engine rooms of the Enterprise.

    4. John Cho was initially reluctant to play the role of Hikaru Sulu, as Cho is Korean American and Sulu is Japanese American. However, original Sulu actor George Takei encouraged Cho to take the part.

    5. In certain scenes, the special effects team had to completely reanimate Eric Bana and Leonard Nimoy‘s mouths. That’s because Bana severely injured his teeth and Nimoy’s dialogue was changed during the older Spock’s first encounter with Kirk.

    Paramount Pictures

    6. Kirk is shown eating an apple during the Kobayashi Maru training sequence. This mirrors a scene from “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” where an older Kirk eats an apple while recounting the story of that infamous scandal.  According to director J.J. Abrams, this homage was completely accidental.

    7. Winona Ryder was cast as Spock’s mother Amanda, despite being only six years older than Zachary Quinto. This is because the film was originally supposed to include an early scene of Amanda giving birth to her son.

    Paramount Pictures

    8. “Star Trek: The Next Generation” star Wil Wheaton provided voiceover dialogue for many of the Romulans on Nero’s ship.

    9. Karl Urban‘s Dr. McCoy mentions joining Starfleet after going through a nasty divorce. This pays homage to an unused story from writer D.C. Fontana, which was originally written for Season 3 of the TV series.

    10. There’s a reason Nero is MIA for so long in between traveling into the past and battling the Enterprise crew. A deleted subplot reveals that Nero  and his crew were captured by Klingons and imprisoned for several decades.

    IDW Publishing

    11. IDW Publishing released several tie-in comic books that flesh out the events surrounding the film.  2009’s “Star Trek: Countdown” explores the events that led to Nero’s journey into the past and features Captain Picard as a major character. 2010’s “Star Trek: Nero” expands on the movie’s deleted Klingon subplot.

    12. This turned out to be the final “Star Trek” film Majel Roddenberry worked on. Barrett provided the voice of Starfleet’s computers dating back to the original TV series. She passed way in December 2008, two weeks after completing her dialogue for the reboot.

    Paramount Pictures

    13. A lucky few fans were given a surprise early screening in April 2019. The Alamo Drafthouse advertised a screening of “The Wrath of Khan” with a special 10-minute preview of the reboot. Instead, Nimoy and the film’s writers interrupted the film and asked attendees if they’d rather watch the new “Star Trek” instead.

    14. Paramount initially planned for a fourth film in the reboot series to follow 2016’s “Star Trek Beyond,” one which would bring back Chris Hemsworth as George Kirk. However, the film was canceled in January 2019 after negotiations broke down with Pine and Hemsworth.

    Paramount Pictures

    15. “Star Trek” may be getting rebooted all over again. Quentin Tarantino has pitched his idea for a movie and has voiced an interest in directing after completing work on “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”

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  • 15 Things You Never Knew About ‘The Mummy’ on its 20th Anniversary

    15 Things You Never Knew About ‘The Mummy’ on its 20th Anniversary

    Universal Pictures

    It’s been 20 years since Universal delivered one of the best movie reboots of all time in “The Mummy.” No amount of lackluster sequels, direct-to-video spinoffs or re-reboots will dull the appeal of this modern-day classic. Celebrate that anniversary with some fun facts you might not know about the making of “The Mummy.”

    1. Universal originally planned on rebooting “The Mummy” as a low-budget horror film in the early 1990’s. Clive Barker was attached to direct, and the film would have focused on a modern-day museum curator attempting to raise an army of undead mummies.

    2. Tom Cruise was originally offered the lead role but turned it down. Cruise would go on to star in the 2017 reboot instead.

    Universal Pictures

    3. Because of the dangerous political situation in Egypt, most of the filming had to be done in Morocco instead.

    4. Even Morocco had its significant dangers. All the main cast members had to have kidnapping insurance. Director Stephen Sommers opted not to inform his cast of this detail until after production wrapped.

    Universal Pictures

    5. Brendan Fraser nearly lost his life while filming the hanging scene. According to Rachel Weisz, he stopped breathing and had to be resuscitated.

    6. Fraser’s colleagues didn’t fare much better. Everyone on set was required to drink a specially created beverage every two hours in order to stay hydrated, and numerous crew members were hospitalized after being bitten or stung by poisonous animals.

    Universal Pictures

    7. The collapsing library stunt was achieved in a single take. That’s fortunate for the crew, as rebuilding the set would have taken a full day’s work.

    8. The character Ardeth Bay was originally supposed to have been killed off in the film’s climax, but Sommers rewrote that part after realizing he liked Oded Fehr too much. Fehr would instead reprise his role in “The Mummy Returns.”

    Universal Pictures

    9. Bay is also intended as an homage to the 1932 film. In that version, Imhotep himself takes up the cover identity of Ardeth Bay (an anagram for “Death by Ra”) when he tries to pass himself off as a modern Egyptian.

    10. One of the background extras can be seen wearing a cloak that was originally worn by Sir Alec Guinness during the filming of “Star Wars.” This was only discovered after filming was completed.

    Lucasfilm

    11. That cloak wasn’t the only classic Hollywood prop o be re-purposed during production. Many of the plastic dummies used to depict Imhotep’s victims were previously featured in 1985’s “Lifeforce.”

    12. Sommers originally planned on paying tribute to the classic Universal logo during the opening of the film. While he abandoned the idea, he re-purposed it in 2004’s “Van Helsing” instead.

    Universal Pictures

    13. If you’re wondering how scarabs could survive so long in Imhotep’s tomb without a food source, an earlier draft of the screenplay revealed that the scarabs themselves were affected by Imhotep’s curse after biting him.

    14. There are technically eight films in this incarnation of the “Mummy” franchise. The original film spawned two direct sequels and the 2003 spinoff “The Scorpion King,” which itself currently has three sequels and one prequel.

    Universal Pictures

    15. “The Mummy” and “The Mummy Returns” also inspired an animated series that ran for two seasons between 2001 and 2003.

  • The 11 Best Franchise Reboots, From ‘The Mummy’ to ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’

    The 11 Best Franchise Reboots, From ‘The Mummy’ to ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’

  • Every On-Screen Superman, Ranked

    Every On-Screen Superman, Ranked

  • 13 Things You Never Knew About ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine” on its 10th Anniversary

    13 Things You Never Knew About ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine” on its 10th Anniversary

    20th Century Fox

    It’s been ten years since Hugh Jackman‘s Wolverine got his first solo movie. Few would argue that “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” was a high point for the franchise, but without it we never would have gotten future gems like “Logan.” Celebrate this mutant milestone by learning some fun facts about the making of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and the spinoffs that never were.

    1. Liev Schreiber refused to wear a padded muscle suit, instead relying on Jackman’s help to bulk up before filming. Schreiber eventually gained 40 pounds by following Jackman’s exercise regimen and protein-heavy diet.

    2. Director Gavin Hood repeatedly clashed with producers and studio executives over the tone and direction of the film, particularly his desire to portray Wolverine as a military veteran with PTSD.

    20th Century Fox

    3. Kodi Smit-McPhee was originally cast as the young James Howlett, but had to drop out due to his commitment to 2009’s “The Road.” Smit-McPhee would instead make his X-Men debut as Nightcrawler in 2015’s “X-Men: Apocalypse.”

    4. Though it was deleted from the theatrical version, one of the scenes in the Nigeria sequence features a young Storm working as a child slave laborer.

    5. While it draws heavily from Marvel’s X-Men comics, the movie does make some changes to the source material. In the comics, Wolverine isn’t old enough to have fought  in the Civil War, and he and Sabretooth aren’t actually brothers.

    20th Century Fox

    6. Brian Cox expressed interest in reprising his role as Col. Stryker. But due to the expense of the de-aging technology used on Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier, it was decided to cast Danny Huston as a young Stryker instead.

    7. Kevin Durand’s Blob suit was so bulky and hot that a system of tubes had to be installed in order to pump in ice water and keep Durand cool.

    20th Century Fox

    8. While Ryan Reynolds plays Deadpool in the first act of the film, he was replaced by stuntman Scott Adkins for most of the the Weapon XI scenes. Reynolds does appear as Weapon XI in a handful of close-up shots.

    9. An unfinished work print cut of the film leaked online a month before its release. Fox estimated the file was downloaded 4.5 million times by the time the finished version hit theaters and blamed the leak for the film’s lackluster box office numbers.

    10. Originally, Fox intended to launch an entire series of “X-Men Origins” prequel movies. These projects were canceled, and portions of the planned “X-Men Origins: Magneto” were instead used for 2011’s “X-Men: First Class.”

    Activision

    11. Activision released a video game adaptation that included significant plot elements not in the movie. For example, one section features Wolverine teaming up with Mystique to destroy the Sentinel program.

    12. Will.i.am eagerly agreed to play John Wraith because of his love for another mutant teleporter, Nightcrawler. In fact, the video game version implies that Wraith is Nightcrawler’s father, though later movies revealed that the villain Azazel is actually his father.

    Warner Bros.

    13. Before the release of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” Christopher Reeve held the record for the most times the same actor has played a superhero character. Jackman and Patrick Stewart both tied that record thanks to this film, and eventually went on to reprise their roles as Wolverine and Professor X several more times.

  • 14 Things You Never Knew About ‘Mean Girls’ on its 15th Anniversary

    14 Things You Never Knew About ‘Mean Girls’ on its 15th Anniversary

    Paramount Pictures

    For a movie all about the awful ordeal that is high school, “Mean Girls” is still a surprisingly fun way to spend a couple hours. As this beloved comedy celebrates its 15th anniversary, here are some fun facts you might not know about the making of “Mean Girls” and the sequels we may or may not ever see.

    1. Writer Tina Fey based the screenplay on her personal experiences in high school and on Rosalind Wiseman’s 2002 self-help book “Queen Bees and Wannabes.”

    2. Lindsay Lohan originally read for the part of Regina George, but eagerly agreed to play Cady Horn instead after fearing playing the villain might harm her reputation.

    Paramount Pictures

    3. Meanwhile, Amanda Seyfried, (who made her film debut in “Mean Girls”) was originally cast as Cady, but producer Lorne Michaels felt she fit the role of Karen better.

    4. Despite playing the mother to Rachel McAdams‘ character Regina, Amy Poehler is only seven years older than McAdams.

    5. The reason Tim Meadows‘ Mr. Duvall is shown to have carpal tunnel syndrome is because Meadows was recovering from a broken hand during filming.

    6. Lizzy Caplan‘s character is named Janis Ian in tribute to the musician of the same name, who also happened to be the very first musical guest on “Saturday Night Live.”

    7. While Regina, Karen and Gretchen are known by all their classmates as “The Plastics,” they never actually refer to themselves by that name in the movie.

    Paramount Pictures

    8. The 2009 Mariah Carey song “Obsessed” was inspired by Regina’s line, “Why are you so obsessed with me?”

    9. Several sexually charged lines in the movie had to be altered in order to maintain a PG-13 rating. For example, when questioned about her virginity, Cady was originally asked “Is your cherry popped?” instead of “Is your muffin buttered?”.

    Paramount Pictures

    10. There have been multiple “Mean Girls” video games, including a PC game released in 2009 and an iOS game released in 2015.

    11. October 3 has been labeled “National Mean Girls Day” by fans.

    12. ABC Family debuted a made-for-TV sequel called “Mean Girls 2” in 2011. Despite the title, the movie is more remake than sequel, and Mr. Duvall is the only character to return.

    Freeform

    13. Lohan has campaigned for a direct sequel  and even written a story treatment that includes roles for Jamie Lee Curtis and Jimmy Fallon.

    14. WB and New Line were also developing a spinoff called “Mean Moms,” with Jennifer Aniston in talks to star back in 2014. Unfortunately, the project seems to have fallen into development hell.

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  • 10 Things You Never Knew About ‘P.C.U.’ on its 25th Anniversary

    10 Things You Never Knew About ‘P.C.U.’ on its 25th Anniversary

    20th Century Fox

    “P.C.U.” is one of those comedies that defined college life for a generation of movie fans. And now that it’s 25 years old, we imagine that generation is feeling pretty long in the tooth now. Celebrate the anniversary of this cult classic with some fun facts you might not know about “P.C.U.”

    1. Writers Adam Leff and Zak Penn based the film on their experiences as members of the Eclectic Society fraternity at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.

    2. The actual Wesleyan campus was used for a handful of exterior shots, but most of the filming took place at the University of Toronto campus.

    20th Century Fox

    3. Steve Zahn and Ashley Judd tried out for the roles of Tom and Samantha, respectively.

    4. Production was delayed when star Jeremy Piven contracted malaria in Guatemala. His sudden weight loss is apparent in certain scenes.

    20th Century Fox

    5. Piven clashed with director Hart Bochner over Bochner’s refusal to permit improvised dialogue.

    6. Bochner, in turn, bristled under Fox’s insistence that the film maintain a PG-13 rating. He later revealed he felt that mandate hurt the final product.

    7. Jon Favreau once revealed his fondest memory from the film was having his dreadlocks finally removed at the end of production.

    8. The film was renamed “Politically Correct Party Animals’ in the UK.

    9. As both projects were filming at the same time, the cast of “P.C.U.” competed and won against the cast of “The Ref” in a softball game.

    10. The original screenplay featured Nirvana as the band playing during the party, but Nirvana’s appearance fee was too high. The Goo Goo Dolls were also considered as a replacement before the Parliament Funkadelic were chosen instead.