Trivia: The guy whose spot was stolen on the ride "The Spider", by Axel, is George Lucas. Appearences are also made by Joe Dante as Jailor, Barbet Schroeder as the guy in the Porsche, John Singleton as the fireman and Arthur Hiller as the bar patron.
Trivia: Director John Landis had issues with the script, but felt he and Eddie Murphy could make it work through comedy. However, Landis was shocked to learn that Murphy wanted to play Axel much straighter-edge, reasoning that he was older and less risky and rambunctious. Thus, Murphy would side step around comedic bits rather than play them up. Landis has said that Murphy was very professional and that he likes parts of the movie, but sees it as an "odd film" since it just wasn't very funny.
Trivia: The film was originally budgeted at $70 million, but this was lowered to $55 million because the studio got cold feet after one of Eddie Murphy's movies, "The Distinguished Gentleman," was a critical failure and performed below expectations. However, due to issues and delays during the filming, the budget ended up ballooning to well over the original $70 million budget.
Trivia: The film was originally meant to take place in England, with several co-stars such as Sean Connery or John Cleese being suggested for Axel's new partner. However, this idea was dropped since it was deemed too similar to the movie "Black Rain," about an American cop who goes to Japan. "Die Hard" writer Steven E. De Souza was then hired, based on an idea he had that was pitched as "'Die Hard' in an amusement park." This became the basis for the script.
Chosen answer: Both men chose not to participate in this movie after reading the script but have not stated publicly what the specific issue was. Anyone who saw the movie can probably venture a guess!
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