Trivia / Basic Instinct 2

• Box Office Bomb: Budget, $70 million. Box office, $38,629,478.
• B-Team Sequel:
  • Paul Verhoeven considered directing the project for some time before moving on to Dutch-language projects when it first started production.
  • Jerry Goldsmith was attached to score the film before he died.
• Creator Backlash:
  • Director Michael Caton-Jones recalled later that making the movie was "a painful experience" and said "the reaction I couldn’t care less about. It was the experience of making it: it was horrible. And I knew before I started that it wasn’t going to be a particularly good film. Which is a very, very painful thing." Interviewed by Empire Magazine, he said:
    I remember coldly thinking "this is the worst filmmaking experience of my life" at the time, but my memory of it is the good thing. We tried to give it a look and I was very happy with it. I had a difficult time with Sharon [Stone], but I had a great time with all the other actors.
  • David Morrissey said:
    I thought it was a great script. I know it didn't turn out to be the greatest film in the world, but I've never regretted any job I've gone into. You learn from all your work, but the knocks that you take whether it be from journalists, reviews, etc. all serve to make you stronger.
  • David Thewlis stated that he outright regretted working on the film. Given that the other film he feels this way about is The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996), which infamously had both Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer at their most unhinged and primadonna-ish, that says a lot.
• Creator Killer:
  • Michael Caton-Jones's career went into ruins following the failure of the film despite a pretty good track record before it (Memphis Belle, Rob Roy); his only efforts since then being a miniseries adaptation of World Without End and the 2015 film Urban Hymn.
  • This film, alongside with the In Name Only film adaptation of I Spy, were the nails in the coffin for C2 Productions, after its attempts to resurrect the Terminator series resulted in the fiasco of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
• Deleted Scene:
  • A threesome scene involving Michael, Catherine, and a female friend of hers portrayed by Anne Caillon was shot but deleted, removing Caillon's role in the process. It can be seen in the DVD's special features.
  • One scene in the film has Michael going to a café and exchanging glances with a waitress. While in the theatrical release nothing comes from it, in the unrated edition it's shown that they had sex against the wall behind the counter.
• Disowned Adaptation: Paul Verhoeven, director of the first film, disliked the movie. He named the lack of a strong male character to balance out the character of Catherine Tramell as one of the reasons for the film's failure.
• Franchise Killer: Plans for a third film have been scrapped due to the film's poor box office reception. However, in April 2006, Sharon Stone said she'd be interested in directing a potential third installment.
• Genre-Killer: The film, besides derailing Sharon Stone's career as an A-list leading lady (ironically while reprising her Star-Making Role), also (at least according to Den of Geek) served as the final nail in the coffin to the erotic thriller genre.
• Money, Dear Boy:
  • Sharon Stone agreed to reprise her role in a "pay or play" arrangement, meaning she got fully paid whether the film would ultimately be made or not.
  • Michael Caton-Jones made no secret of this being why he took the job of directing the film.
• Saved from Development Hell: The film was delayed several times in pre-production in 2000 and 2001. Some of the largest problems were finding the right director and the right male lead. Eventually, the production was dropped and the movie canceled. In June 2001, Sharon Stone filed a lawsuit against the movie's producers, Andrew G. Vajna and Mario Kassar, for being responsible for the delays and therefore making her unable to take other jobs. She filed for nearly $100 million in damages. Three years later, during her promotion tour for Catwoman (2004), she stated that she had finally dropped the charges and that the film was back on track. Both Stone and the same producers were still making the film together.
• Sequel Gap: It was released 14 years after the first Basic Instinct.
• Star-Derailing Role: For Sharon Stone, which was ironically a reprisal of her Star-Making Role. The film's box office disaster and bashing by critics marked the end of Stone's run as an A-list leading lady, following other noteworthy failures early in the 2000s like Cold Creek Manor and Catwoman (2004).
• What Could Have Been:
  • David Cronenberg was in talks to the direct the film for some time. John McTiernan was set to direct after Cronenberg bailed out due to producer Mario Kassar banning him from using his own cinematographer, production designer, and the rest of his usual team.
  • Michael Douglas declined to reprise his role as Nick Curran, admitting that he felt he was too old for the part.
  • Robert Downey Jr. was set to star but had to drop out when he was charged with drug possession. Kurt Russell was attached at some point but bailed out because he felt uncomfortable with the nudity. Pierce Brosnan refused to play the male lead role because of distasteful elements. Bruce Greenwood was set to star but dropped out because he hadn't been signed on yet and feared the actors strike. Benjamin Bratt was banned by Sharon Stone for not being a good actor.
  • The setting was changed from New York to London. Benicio del Toro, Aaron Eckhart, Harrison Ford, and Viggo Mortensen were in the running for the lead when the film was initially set in the U.S.A. Gabriel Byrne, Rupert Everett, Jude Law, and Ewan McGregor were nominated after the move. Javier Bardem was also considered at some point.
  • When Stone refused to reprise her role at the beginning of production, Kim Basinger, Ashley Judd, Demi Moore, Michelle Pfeiffer, Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan, and Emma Thompson were considered to replace her.
  • Stone wanted Catherine Deneuve to star alongside her at one point.

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