20 facts you might not know about 'Con Air'

Bruckheimer and his producing partner Don Simpson were huge successes in Hollywood for years, but by the middle of the 1990s, Simpson’s drug use had become a major issue. The two agreed to split up while working on "The Rock," another Cage film. However, Simpson died due to complications from his drug use before that movie even was released. "Con Air" marked Bruckheimer’s first solo production credit after his partnership with Simpson ended.

Scott Rosenberg had made his name with the Quentin Tarantino ripoff "Things To Do in Denver When You're Dead" and "Con Air" marked a step up in terms of scale and budget for him. Rosenberg has since written movies like "Gone In 60 Seconds," which makes sense. However, he also co-wrote the two recent "Jumanji" films, and also, the infamous “Kangaroo Jack.”

British director Simon West was working in the world of music videos prior to getting a chance to make his directorial debut on "Con Air." He has since directed films like "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" and "The Expendables 2." That being said, his most-viewed bit of work has to go back to his music video career. West is the man who directed Rick Astley’s video for “Never Gonna Give You Up.” Yes, every Rickroll is another view for West’s work.

So many notable actors have had their name at least tangentially connected to the lead role of Cameron Poe in "Con Air." So much so, we have to assume that a lot of them were maybe briefly mentioned more than seriously considered. Nevertheless, some of the names include Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Keanu Reeves, and Patrick Swayze. In the end, Cage got the role.

In order to play a man from Alabama, Cage naturally went down to the Yellowhammer State to work on his accent. He’s nothing if not a man who likes to throw himself into a role. On top of that, Cage was working out between takes during filming in order to stay in peak physical shape.

John Cusack plays the role of Vince Larkin, the Birkenstocks-wearing U.S. Marshal whom Poe contacts to help bring down the plane. But he wasn't the only actor considered for the part. Robert Downey Jr., Charlie Sheen, and Matthew Broderick were all reportedly considered for the role.

John Malkovich kind of changed his image in Hollywood by playing the villainous Cyrus the Virus in "Con Air." Also in the running were Mickey Rourke, Willem Dafoe, and Jason Isaacs. Notably, both Rourke and Isaacs have stories involving actual weapons and their auditions. Rourke purportedly brought a Bowie knife to his audition, while Isaacs was evidently handed a real gun by a camera assistant to use instead of the pencil Isaacs was using as a stand-in prop.

Cage seems to find something in every role to lock into. He’s just got that vibe as an actor. Cusack and Malkovich, though, are a little more straightforward as actors. Neither seem to be fans of "Con Air" as an end product, and Malkovich was reportedly annoyed that the movie, and his character, were being rewritten during production. Both have also said that they simply took their parts because it was a nice payday. Hey, actors have to make a living.

Tim Roth was the first choice for Garland Greene, a.k.a. the Marietta Mangler. Instead, Steve Buscemi got the role. Roth and Buscemi had, of course, previously starred together in "Reservoir Dogs."

As a comedian, Dave Chappelle was given free rein. He reportedly improvised most of his dialogue. Also of note, both Chappelle and Mykelti Williamson are in the movie. Williamson is best known for playing Bubba in “Forrest Gump,” a role that Chappelle had turned down.

“Con Air” is a dude-heavy movie, and apparently there was a lot of posturing, good-natured and otherwise, on set. Danny Trejo, a guy who knows a thing or two about being tough, said that there was a lot of “tough guy competition” on the set of the film. Apparently they were so engaged in competing on set they would even try to outdo each other in stuff like spitting contests.

If you’re making an action movie centered on a plane, that plane is probably going to make a crash landing. Originally, the plan was for the plane to crash into the White House. Bruckheimer, though, wasn’t feeling that, and suggested the crash happen in Las Vegas instead.

The decision to film the climax in Vegas also was bolstered by the fact the Sands hotel was going to be demolished. They were able to take advantage of that demolition to use the Sands for the crash landing in the film.

Sadly, welder Phil Swartz had a model of an airplane fall on him during production. He died in the accident. As a result, the movie is dedicated to his memory.

June of 1997 was quite the time to be a Nic Cage fan. He didn’t just have “Con Air” hit theaters. That same month, “Face/Off” also came out. Cage had shot the films consecutively.

The three convicts that die, Benson, Karls, and Popovich, were named in honor of a few guys from the crew. Second assistant cameraman Garrett Benson, first assistant cameraman Johnny Karls, and key grip J. Michael Popovich all got some love.

In France, the movie was given a title that roughly translates into “The Wings of Hell.” That’s a pretty killer title, but there was also a reason for the change. Evidently, in French “con” is a slang term for a dumb person.

Two songs stand out in “Con Air.” One is “Sweet Home Alabama,” the Lynyrd Skynyrd song that lends itself to a dark joke, given that the film takes place largely on a plane. The other is “How Do I Live,” a song made famous by LeAnn Rimes but sung by Trisha Yearwood for the movie. However, neither of those songs are included on the soundtrack for the movie.

“Con Air” opened to a box office of $24.1 million, topping the charts for the week. All in all, it made $101.1 million domestically and $224 million worldwide off of a budget of $75 million.

“Con Air” surprisingly got a couple looks from the Academy Awards. One was for Best Sound, while the other was for Best Original Song for the aforementioned “How Do I Live.” Alternatively, “How Do I Live” was also nominated for Worst Original Song by the Razzies. It didn’t win either, though.