11 Things You Didn't Know About 'Demolition Man'
Even after 25 years, "Demolition Man" remains one of the best action movies/guilty pleasures from the '90s.
It's got two musclebound action stars going toe-to-toe in a futuristic sci-fi world, with Sylvester Stallone playing John Spartan -- a badass cop who gets frozen in cyro-prision after an attempt to bring in his prey, a kooky psycho criminal (Wesley Snipes), goes sideways. Soon, in a future that is very PG-rated (you get fined for cussing!), Spartan is thawed out to pursue Phoenix once again.
It has LOTS of Taco Bell, Dan Cortese playing TV jingles on the piano, 90s Denis Leary, and the Three Seashells. What more could you ask for? To celebrate that anniversary, here are a few interesting facts you might not know about "Demolition Man."
1. Before Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes were cast, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal were offered the lead roles. Both turned them down because neither wanted to play the villain.
2. NBA star Dennis Rodman dyed his hair similar to Simon Phoenix's (Snipes) distinctive hairstyle in the movie, having been inspired by the future criminal's look.
3. For his part, Snipes hated his hairdo in the film and immediately shaved his head after filming wrapped.
4. Hungarian writer István Nemere has accused the film of plagiarizing his novel "Fight of the Dead," claiming that 75 percent of the plot is identical.
5.Lori Petty was originally cast as the earnest and untested police officer Lenina Huxley, but the actor was fired two days into filming due to "creative differences." Sandra Bullock was then brought in as her replacement.
6.Sting and Grace Jones perform the title song, "Demolition Man." The song was originally recorded in 1981 and was featured on a new EP in 1993 alongside the release of the film.
7. Stallone originally wanted Jackie Chan to play Simon Phoenix. Chan turned it down, however, due to fears over how Chinese audiences would react to seeing him play a villain.
8. Because (at the time) Taco Bell was less popular outside of the US, the European version of the film was re-dubbed to replace all Taco Bell references with Pizza Hut instead.
9. "Demolition Man" jokingly refers to Arnold Schwarzenegger as having been elected President of the United States. However, Schwarzenegger became governor of California ten years after the movie was released, and some politicians have proposed an "Arnold Amendment" that would allow naturalized citizens like Schwarzenegger to run for President.
10. Numerous scenes were trimmed or cut during post-production. This includes an entire subplot featuring John Spartan's adult daughter, though she can still be briefly glimpsed during the sewer battle scene.
11. In Kuwait, the movie was renamed "Rambo the Destroyer," in the hope of banking off Stallone's enduringly popular action hero.