Useless Movie Trivia For
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Memorable Movie Quotes
Allan Quatermain: If you can't do it with one bullet, don't do it at all.
Mina Harker: You're sweet... and you're young. Neither are traits that I hold in high regard.
Rodney Skinner (The Invisible Man): This is a charming spot. Does Jack the Ripper live here?
Captain Nemo: You underestimate the Nautilus. You underestimate her greatly.
Trivia
Filming was delayed due to the summer 2002 floods in Prague, Czech Republic which destroyed more than $7 million worth of sets.
Quatermain, Nemo, Jekyll and Hyde, Dorian Gray, and Professor Moriarty all "died" in their original novels or stories. In the novel "The Invisible Man" Dr. Griffin went quite mad and was eventually killed. Here, Skinner says he got the serum to turn himself invisible from a mad doctor, a very clever way to get around the rights issues. Both the original Invisible Man, Mr. Hyde, and Nemo were far from heroes in their original incarnations. Nemo was a rebel to the crown and Mr. Hyde and the Invisible Man were murderers and rapists.
While filming in Prague, the cast went to an Indian restaurant for lunch. The Indian proprietor recognized Naseeruddin Shah, called him by name, escorted the party to his best table, and waited on them personally.
The character of Tom Sawyer was added because the studio thought many people in the American market wouldn't care about the movie unless an American character and cast member was in it.
A scene was cut from the film where Tom Sawyer explains that he and his friend, Agent Huck Finn, were tracking down the Fantom, and that the Fantom killed Huck. This is the reason why Sawyer is so intent on getting the Fantom.
At one point, Peta Wilson does a humorous impersonation of Sean Connery's voice. According to Wilson, this was a last-minute addition to the scene, and she felt nervous doing it, since Connery impersonations was considered a no-no on the set. Before the shoot she called Connery and offered not to do the accent, but he insisted she should. Afterwards she asked him what he thought. He replied, "You were great!" She was taken aback and asked if he really meant it. He said, "Yeah, it's terrible! It's the worst impersonation I have ever heard, and it's perfect."
Captain Nemo, an Indian, is seen performing martial arts throughout the movie. The martial arts discipline of Shin Sun Do is thought to have originated in India.
Stephen Norrington had such a hard time with this film that he announced he would never direct another film again.
When Alan Quartermain is teaching Tom Sawyer to fire long-distance shots, you can see Shane West's (Tom Sawyer) arm and shoulder shaking from the strain of holding the gun. He says on the cast commentary that he was quite embarrassed because Sean Connery, who was nearly 72, seemed to have no problem holding the solid wood and metal gun while firing a shot, whereas he, in his early twenties, found it incredibly heavy and strained to hold it still while aiming at the target.
In the original graphic novel Alan Quatermain had written himself out of public life and become an opium addict. At the start of the story he is rescued from an opium den by Mina Harker and enlisted as a member of the League. In the film adaptation, Sean Connery reportedly refused to play an opium addict, so the writers changed his story so he was merely hiding from the public.
The film's creators were sued in 2003 by Martin Poll and Larry Cohen. Poll and Cohen claimed that they had pitched a similar idea to Fox between 1993 and 1996, under the title 'Cast of Characters'. They alleged that Fox hired screenwriters to adapt Alan Moore's comic long before it was finished, and instead used ideas from their screenplay to make up the story. The case was settled out of court.
Tony Curran's agent did not want him to take the role of Skinner. He reasoned that since the character is invisible for most of the film, no one would care about who was playing him. Once the film came out Skinner became a fan favorite.
Production delays and constant clashes between himself and director Stephen Norrington convinced Sean Connery that he had fallen out of love with modern film making. While he made no official announcement at the time, he has since insisted that he is now officially retired, save for some voice-over work.
The reason Captain Nemo denounces the kidnapping of the scientists' wives and children as 'monstrous' is from personal experience. In Jules Verne's original story, Nemo's own wife and child were kidnapped and murdered; grief-stricken, Nemo built his submarine and retreated into the sea.
Goofs
When Dorian Gray offers Mina Harker the small glass of alcohol she is to take, she reaches up with her hand. Moments later, he will smash the glass and cut her fingers, but the blood is already on her hand as she reaches to take the drink.
The level of make-up on Skinner's face throughout the movie changes. In some parts you can see that the back of his head is invisible, and in the next close up scenes of him talking you see make-up covering his entire head. This is most noticeable right after Quartermain meets Skinner to the point where Skinner splashes himself with alcohol in Dorian's home.
While the League waits for Skinner in the frozen wasteland, nobody's breath is visible. This is especially telling for Skinner when he arrives, as you can see the outline of his body from the fallen snow but not his breath when he speaks.
In the Kenyan bar fight, Quatermain pushes one of the armored men into a rhino horn on the wall. The horn goes straight through the man's back and comes out of his chest. This should not happen as the armored vest should have blocked the passage of the horn.
During the Arctic sequence, while the "Gentlemen" are traversing through the snow toward shelter, the Invisible Man is invisible, and therefore must be completely naked and barefoot. The footprints left in the snow by the character are shoe prints.
Box Office Info USA
Budget: $78,000,000
Opening Weekend: $23,075,892
Gross: $66,465,204
Filming Locations
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Iceland
Malta
Morocco
Prague, Czech Republic
Santa Clarita, California, USA
Vienna, Austria