FILM 2089: SPHERE (1998)

FILM 2089: SPHERE  (1998)

TRIVIA: The ending had to be re-shot, because test audiences could not believe that the characters could survive without spending weeks in decompression.

Samuel L. Jackson would work on this film during the week, and then work on Jackie Brown (1997) on the weekends.

Many scenes, like Harry (Samuel L. Jackson) and Norman's (Dustin Hoffman's) conversation about making up the ULF report and dealing with Ted (Liev Schreiber), were completely improvised.

In the book, the sphere was supposed to be visualized as a "chrome colored ball bearing" with "grooved convolutions" that acted as a door opening so that people could enter. The movie originally had planned to use a sphere that had the same qualities (chrome ball bearing), but soon found out that if it was placed in a dark room, the reflection would look almost entirely black, and not as impressive. The Special Effects Designer and Director Barry Levinson eventually decided to go with a "champagne" colored sphere due to how it looked on-screen.

While this movie was held up in production, Director Barry Levinson was able to make another film with Dustin Hoffman in the interim, Wag the Dog (1997).

Barry Levinson toyed with the idea of having Queen Latifah and Huey Lewis record a duet for the end credits.

(at around 1h 50 mins) Norman dives for an oxygen tank. While diving he accidentally hits his head against a table. This was not scripted thus it occurred as a real accident.

This film was the second Michael Crichton adaptation for Samuel L. Jackson and Barry Levinson. Jackson appeared in Jurassic Park (1993), and Levinson directed Disclosure (1994).

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