Demolition Man

Peter Lenkov’s script sold as a straight action piece. Daniel Waters rewrote it so heavily that arbitration gave him first screenplay credit, and pitched the result as an action movie version of Woody Allen’s Sleeper. The comedy came from there. Marco Brambilla came from big budget commercials and this was his first feature; David Fincher recommended him to Joel Silver. Stallone wanted Jackie Chan as the villain; Chan refused, unwilling to play one. Snipes said no repeatedly until Silver and Brambilla went to the Rising Sun set in person. Lori Petty had the part of Lenina and was replaced after two days by Sandra Bullock. Taco Bell was not the first choice either: Burger King and McDonald’s turned the tie in down. European prints made the chain Pizza Hut, redubbing lines and swapping logos in post, and the 2024 Arrow edition carries both versions. A subplot about Spartan’s daughter Kate was cut for pace, and test audiences then took Lenina for the daughter and recoiled at the seduction scene. A good fit if you accept the action stopping midway for manners jokes about swearing fines, seashells and sex without contact. Not for anyone who will read Taco Bell as the sole survivor of the franchise wars as a grinning advertisement, since the brand sits at the centre of the film.