Trivia / Running Scared (1986)

• California Doubling: Averted for the most part; all of the Chicago outdoor scenes were filmed on location (including the car chase on the L tracks), and most of the Florida Keys scenes were shot on location. However, part of the movie was shot in Los Angeles.
• Dyeing for Your Art: Billy Crystal was told to grow a beard for the film.
• Playing Against Type: Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines were primarily known for comedic roles, but here play badass Cowboy Cops.
• Star-Making Role: While Billy Crystal was already a household name due to his work on Soap and Saturday Night Live, Running Scared was Crystal's first leading role in a motion picture.
• Stillborn Franchise: A sequel titled Still Running was planned and different scripts were written. But Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines did not think any of them were strong enough to warrant a sequel and turned them all down.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Originally, the script was written for Gene Hackman and Paul Newman, but director Peter Hyams decided to make the characters younger.
  • Tom Selleck and John Travolta were also considered, but Selleck couldn't get out of his commitments for Magnum, P.I., and Travolta's agent didn't think it was right for him.

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