No matter how big the budgets, stars, or spectacle of a Hollywood blockbuster, some of the coolest twists and surprises happen behind the scenes.
Here’s another dose of rapid-fire trivia about your favorite films in the latest installment of 20 Amazing Movie To Blow Your Mind.
The Force Awakens - Poe’s Fate
Along with the main heroes, the new Star Wars movie adds Rebel pilot Poe Dameron to the story… even though most of the cast believes him to be dead for most of the movie. But in the original script, the character actually did die in the crash on Jakku. It was only after Oscar Isaac accepted the role that they came up with an excuse for him to appear in future movies.
“I Used To Be”
When Rey (Daisy Ridley) asks Han Solo if he’s the famous smuggler she’s always heard about, he replies that “he used to be.” It isn’t just a clever jab at the character’s younger days, but a regular line of Harrison Ford’s. When taking his castmates to dinner, they all watched as a waiter asked if he was Harrison Ford - with the actor giving the young man the same reply.
Batman V Superman - The Grey Knight
Zack Snyder’s vision of an older, darker, Batman isn’t just a change for fans, but the studio, too. Since Ben Affleck is a year and a half older than Christian Bale, it’s the first time - ever - that a new Batman actor is older, not younger, than the one before. The times, they are a changin’…
Bat-Dads?
Ben Affleck actually got a personal blessing (and some advice) from Christian Bale, but it wasn’t planned. Just weeks after his casting was announced, Affleck was shopping for his son’s Batman costume in an L.A. Halloween store. It was there that he ran into the former Dark Knight, shopping for the same costume for his own son, in that exact aisle.
Spider-Man - The High School Hero
When the deal between Marvel Studios and Sony over the famous webslinger was finally reached, fans waited to see which actor would land the part of the brand new Spider-Man. It’s no surprise that the reboot will, once again, follow Peter Parker through high school. But at just 19, Tom Holland is the first actor who could actually be in Peter’s classes - both previous actors were close to 30 when they played the same age.
Captain America: Civil War - Battle of Wages
The battle between Iron Man and Captain America was originally a very different story, with Tony Stark having a minor role. But Robert Downey, Jr. wanted a bigger one, which would bring a bigger price tag along with it. The executives were split, with the overseer of Marvel digging in his heels over the added cash. But the opportunity of a true Civil War too good to pass up, and Marvel Studios’ leadership was completely reorganized… with those opposing Downey’s salary removed from the process.
Mad Mad: Fury Road - Doubting Thomas
It’s hard to believe that the stars of this critical hit doubted their director, but star Tom Hardy admitted that shooting weeks in the desert without much of a script saw him leave the production beyond frustrated. So it wasn’t pride he felt the first time he saw the finished Fury Road, admitting that the first thing that popped into his head was that he owed George Miller an apology.
A Surpisingly Proper Apocalypse
As gory as the movie is, there’s no cursing in Mad Max. The only thing that comes close is when The Dag (Abbey Lee Kershaw) refers to Max as “a crazy smeg who eats shlanger.” The terms sound vulgar, but “smeg” comes straight from the British sitcom Red Dwarf as a made up word used in place of profanity. And schlange? That’s just German for “snake.”
The Avengers: Age of Ultron - Loving Siblings
Most of Marvel’s movie heroes take some cues from the “Ultimates” versions, but that wasn’t the case with Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). In the “Ultimates” universe, they’re not just brother and sister… but lovers. The incest was left out of the movie, but the actors made sure to always seem a bit too close as a nod for the fans, having read most of that comic’s issues involving their respective characters.
Gifted, Not ‘Mutants’
The mutant heroes owe their powers to their father - famous X-Men villain Magneto - but due to rights issues between Marvel Studios and 20th Century Fox, they’re not mutants in the MCU - only “gifted” test subjects. When actress Elizabeth Olsen confused the terms during the Comic-Con panel for Age of Ultron, her castmates, and the crowd, was quick to correct her, continuing a running joke that even the actors couldn’t avoid.
X-Men: Apocalypse - Memory Lane
Taking the mutant superteam back to the 1980s was a dream come true for director Bryan Singer, making sure to include clothes, music, and movies that he loved when he was actually living it. When the young characters visit a video arcade in the movie, it’s actually a recreation of the ‘Space Port’ - the exact arcade Singer frequented as a kid in New Jersey.
What’s in a Name?
The villain of the movie, Apocalypse, was immortalized as a major X-Men villain in the massive comic crossover “Age of Apocalypse.” The director and writers have confirmed that the movie was originally going to feature the same name, but had to be changed when both Avengers: Age of Ultron and Transformers: Age of Extinction would make the title seem worn out.
Suicide Squad - Extreme Method
The first picture of Jared Leto’s Joker showed he was all-in on becoming the villain, but staying in character on set wasn’t easy on his Suicide Squad castmates. Leto delivered a surprise gift of a live rat to Margot Robbie, his character’s lover, Harley Quinn. Things weren’t as nice for the rest of the cast: they got a pig fresh from the butcher, stuffed with bullets.
Legacy of The Bat
Ever wonder what happens to famous movie props? Harley Quinn’s weapon of choice in the movie is a baseball bat, based on her re-imagining in the Batman: Arkham video games. When Kevin Smith helped promote DC’s upcoming movies, he got a prop bat as a gift, passing it on to his own daughter, who he’d already named after the crazed character.
Jurassic World - God Creates Dinosaurs
The fourth installment of this dinosaur series didn’t feature any of the original film’s heroes, but it did feature one cameo - sort of. Scattered throughout the movie are glimpses of Ian Malcolm’s book, assumed to be his account of his trip to the original Jurassic Park, simply titled: “God Creates Dinosaurs,” a line from the original film.
Better Than The Real Thing
To shape their version of the park’s control center, the crew visited the control rooms of both Universal Studios and NASA’s mission control. When the director learned the theme park’s brain is operated by a handful of employees using outdated monitors, he turned to NASA and imagination to do the rest.
Furious Seven - The Supra Sunset
Even though Paul Walker passed away before the movie could be finished, his friends and family found a way to get a piece of him on-screen. The effects team used CG to insert Walker into the final drive beside star Vin Diesel, but the car he’s driving was the actor’s own white Toyota Supra, purchased after driving the same model in the first movie.
Man of Steel - Blunder Armor
Knowing that the impressive Kryptonian armor worn by Zod’s forces might only be added digitally, actor Michael Shannon only accepted the role when Zack Snyder promised he’d have armor, not just a brightly colored bodysuit on set. When Shannon arrived on the first say of shooting, he met Snyder first, offering an apology… and a mocap bodysuit.
Mission: Impossible - Shoeless Shots Fired
Tom Cruise finally meets his match in the franchise’s fourth movie, played by actress Rebecca Ferguson. Critics and audiences appreciated that her characters took off her high heels before a fight, sticking with realism, especially when Jurassic World was being slammed for ignoring the issue. When the studio suggested they cut new TV spots to highlight the difference, the star and director decided against it, claiming it would only be “twisting the knife” in their big screen competition.
Inside Out - Congratulations, San Francisco
The movie may take place mainly inside a young girl’s brain, but the Pixar staff still found a way to work in their own experiences. A pizzeria that uses broccoli as a topping is made the butt of a joke - but it’s based on a real place in nearby Berkeley California, The Cheese Board Collective, frequented by employees.
Conclusion
Those are some of our favorite bits of lesser known trivia in recent blockbusters, but what are yours? Let us know in the comments and remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos like this one.
