What Did They Know?
A Vulture series on artists whose work foretold our pandemic-stricken world.
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But, if you look up Demolition ManUnderrated, you really hit the jackpot.
Its reputation has gotten so much better.
This was definitely a rewrite job.
It was kind of a regular action movie.
There was no attempt at comedy in the first drafts of the script.
I basically pitched them the fullSleeperversion.
It just snowballed from there.
I only worked on it for two and a half weeks.
Then I ended up getting first credit on the screenplay because I had changed it [so much].
Two total strangers, we had a look in our eyes like, That could be it, huh?
I loved seeing the quote-unquote handshake Rob Schneider and Benjamin Bratt give each other in this.
I can totally see it.
You wouldnt have sex, oh, God, no.
Sandra Bullock is so good in the movie.
Why would we use handfuls of wadded-up paper?
And, I was wondering if youd like to have sex?
Knowing Ive got the great caveman as my lead actor, I could lean even more into it.
Themini-monologueshe gives, about the different pandemics that led to this pointThat speech, it seems so reasonable now.
Slowly but surely, were getting them all.
When that movie came out, there was still smoking in bars.
Now you cant even smoke outside.
Coffees got its lovers, but its not great for you.
Its like,whoa, whoa.
What, am I going to be Mr. Anti-Politically-Correct now?
No, just having a little fun.
I am in the middle.
Are you actually aTaco Bellperson?
I know the European version of the film had Pizza Hut as the only surviving restaurant.Iama Taco Bell person.
Im going, Yes, we know.
Much likeDemolition Man, its its own genre.
When Taco Bell came around, it was like, Of course!
The greatest thing thats ever happened to this movie.
Its basically Zoom.Yeah, exactly.
But every screens got its own seat at the conference table.
So, this guy [online] was saying, Look at this!
This movie predicted Scott Peterson was going to prison!
Like, Jesus, lets keep it down.
Come on, now.
Im like, Sure.
Does this mean Im out of jury duty?
My favorite joke of the script got cut.
Hes like, What the fuck?
You guys have done all this and you still havent come up with a good hand dryer?
Schwarzeneggers a national institution, and I thought, well, why not?
But I wasnt thinking that far ahead.
If I only knew I helped enable that …
So I added that line about the amendment, and I thought, Boy, that really ruins it.
But it actually makes it funnier.
We had to come up with a whole amendment just to get Schwarzenegger president.
The microchips, the virtual wallet… obviously I cant say I made that stuff up.
That was on everybodys horizon.
It was a good thing I did it for laughs, though.
People dont do all that much fiction about utopias.Yeah.
Utopias always scare me because everybody cant be having a good time.
I know I wouldnt be.
If everybody else was having a good time, theres no way I could have a good time.
Utopias actually scare me more than dystopias.
Yeah, and then you never see her!
He never reconnects with her.Oh, my God.
Let me just lay it all out for you.
First of all, nobody seems to do the math that the daughter would be older than Stallone.
Anyway, she ends up playing Stallones daughter.
Its a tender scene, [and it] just stopped the movie dead.
So, Joels like, Cut it.
And so we cut the scene out.
And then I tell you, all our first test screenings … everyone thought Sandra Bullock was the daughter.
So, when theyre about to have sex, the whole audience is, Oh, no.
VeryOld Boy.Yeah, exactly.
And we thought, Maybe we should cut out all mentions of the daughter.
We cant do it.
And then Joel Silvers like, Meryl Streep is the daughter [for the sequel].
She needs a big box office action movie.
I go, No, she doesnt.
But he was like, If I get her to do it, will you come on?
She was like, I pitched to Meryl, shes excited.
So, Im doomed, for no Meryl Streep sequels are happening.
But yes, Joel did talk about a sequel.
Do you know if Streep was ever asked?Im pretty sure she wasnt.
I wasnt going to call in every week for a follow-up.
Jesus, now youve got me thinking about a sequel.
Id have to come clean with the three seashells and just have a graphic …
I mean, thatd be the trailer.
I wouldnt even need to show action, just a teaser of Stallone walking into a stall.
If we make movies again, maybe I can do this.
