Trivia / Children of Men

• Acclaimed Flop: This was a well-reviewed, much-enjoyed movie... which didn't do so hot at the box office.
• Actor-Inspired Element: Clive Owen actually contributed a lot to the final draft of the script, providing Alfonso Cuaron with some insights.
• Approval of God: The author of the novel loved the finished film and even made a cameo at the beginning.
• Box Office Bomb: Budget, $76 million. Gross, $70 million. In spite of great reviews, opening in late December to be an awards contender caused such a bleak film to be slaughtered by family-friendly fare, and the studio not being sure on how to market it didn't help matters.
• Camera Abuse: Used frequently to add to the gritty visual style. For the last Epic Tracking Shot featured in the film the production crew had a perfect take, only to notice that blood had spattered on the lens. The cinematographer convinced the director to use the take anyway.
• The Danza: Almost: Julianne Moore as "Julian."
• Dueling Movies: With V for Vendetta: both social sci-fi adaptations of British fictional works set 20 Minutes into the Future under repressive regimes. Children of Men did garner better reviews and even a couple Oscar nominations.
• Fake Nationality:
  • Nigel, a Briton like most of the characters, is played by American actor Danny Huston.
  • Possibly. Marichka is played by Romanian actress Oana Pellea and her lines are all in Romanian - but those are mostly ad-libbed. The name Marichka is Russian, so she's likely meant to be Russian.
• Saved from Development Hell: Alfonso Cuarón was attached to the movie in 2001, and took a while to actually start production, even making another movie in-between.
• Shrug of God: It's been stated that the ending was deliberately designed to appear to be either a hopeful or Downer Ending, depending wholly on where you lie on the Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism.
• Throw It In!: The scene where blood splashes on the lens? Alfonso Cuaron actually called "cut" when that happened, but his voice was drowned out by the explosions. The cinematographer loved the shot and convinced him to leave it in.

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