History Trivia / DeepBlueSea

* TheWikiRule: [[https://deep-blue-sea.fandom.com/wiki/Deep_Blue_Sea_Wiki Here]].

* PropRecycling: The orange colored mini-sub visible in the wet-entry area was the same mini-sub seen in the end of ''Film/{{Sphere}}'', also starring Creator/SamuelLJackson.

* ExecutiveMeddling: The film was originally set to end with [[https://lostmediawiki.com/Deep_Blue_Sea_(lost_original_ending_of_sci-fi_horror_film;_1999) Susan not only surviving, but delivering the fatal blow to the shark]], before embracing Carter. However, during test screenings of the film, audience members were so incensed at Susan, who orchestrated the whole disaster and was unlikeable to boot, that they repeatedly yelled "Die, Bitch!" during the final act. As a result, the ending was reshot to have Susan perform a HeroicSacrifice to stop the shark from escaping the perimeter fence, while her role was slightly toned down and Preacher's (Music/LLCoolJ) was beefed up to make him more of a heroic character.
* FocusGroupEnding: Test audiences so despised Susan (to the point of loudly screaming "Die, Bitch!" throughout the film), as well as the killing of LL Cool J's Bible-quoting parrot-avenging shark-burning chef, that the final ending was changed so that the Black Dude lives while the scientist lady gets munched on by a shark at the very end.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Originally, Susan was to be the hero of the film. However, after a negative test screening for the first cut of the film, Creator/RennyHarlin conceded that to the audience her character was more or less the evil genius of the film, and had to be punished for it at the end. He purposely cut out some earlier scenes of Burrows to make her less sympathetic. It was also his idea to make Preacher the hero, citing that everyone liked him, and that he was a "pretty cool guy".

* ShownTheirWork: Renny Harlin based the science of shark and technicality of hypothetical scenario on using shark to find a cure for Alzheimer on person he knew personally - Creator/DolphLundgren ([[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer no joke]]). Before going into acting, Lundgren wrote a thesis paper titled "Compound Shark Chemicals" and trained several sharks in the movie ''Shark in Sweden'' (a heist film inside an aquarium loaded with genetically modified sharks). He worked with the film's shark effects coordinator Walt Conti to create a method in which Dr. Susan [=McAlester=] could believably explain, and show the audience the genetic modification. Working a grueling daily schedule that involved two hours of actual work, seven hours of weightlifting, and three hours of golf with Samuel L. Jackson, Lundgren spent six weeks writing on chalkboards and using a custom calculator to come up with the genetic modification. He designed and built the fake shark that [=McAlester=] tested on during the famous wet lab scene. He was Michael Rapaport’s stunt double. The kitchen fight was based on a fight he had with an alligator while he was staying at a timeshare in Tampa, Florida. All of the microscopes in the film were part of Dolph’s personal collection. Walt Conti’s animatronic sharks are beautiful, but the horsepower was occasionally not enough. So, Dolph Lundgren would get inside the shark and make them swim.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Originally, Susan was to be the hero of the film. However, after viewing the first cut of the film, Creator/RennyHarlin thought that her character was more or less the evil genius of the film, and had to be punished for it at the end. He purposely cut out some earlier scenes of Burrows to make her less sympathetic. It was also his idea to make Preacher the hero, citing that everyone liked him, and that he was a "pretty cool guy".

* ActorInspiredElement: Creator/SamuelLJackson came up with his character's [[https://beforesandafters.com/2019/07/24/deep-blue-sea-samuel-l-jackson-sharks-death/ sudden death scene.]] Originally, he was given a lengthy speech, but both he and the FX team thought that the dialogue was absolutely terrible (his speech was apparently ''seven pages long'' in the script), so he asked them "You know, why don't you just kill me?" And thus was born one of the film's most famous scenes. He later called the head of the team and said "Best. Death. ''Ever!''"

* ShownTheirWorks: Renny Harlin based the science of shark and technicality of hypothetical scenario on using shark to find a cure for Alzheimer on person he knew personally - Creator/DolphLundgren ([[WeAreNotMakingThisUp no joke]]). Before going into acting, Lundgren wrote a thesis paper titled "Compound Shark Chemicals" and trained several sharks in the movie ''Shark in Sweden'' (a heist film inside an aquarium loaded with genetically modified sharks). He worked with the film's shark effects coordinator Walt Conti to create a method in which Dr. Susan McAlester could believably explain, and show the audience the genetic modification. Working a grueling daily schedule that involved two hours of actual work, seven hours of weightlifting, and three hours of golf with Samuel L. Jackson, Lundgren spent six weeks writing on chalkboards and using a custom calculator to come up with the genetic modification. He designed and built the fake shark that McAlester tested on during the famous wet lab scene. He was Michael Rapaport’s stunt double. The kitchen fight was based on a fight he had with an alligator while he was staying at a timeshare in Tampa, Florida. All of the microscopes in the film were part of Dolph’s personal collection. Walt Conti’s animatronic sharks are beautiful, but the horsepower was occasionally not enough. So, Dolph Lundgren would get inside the shark and make them swim.

* BigNameFan: Creator/StephenKing is a fan of this film, believe it or not. Writing in ''People'', King described the movie as the first he watched during his recovery after a near-fatal accident and claimed he "loved every minute of it".

* LoopingLines: A significant portion of the film had to be ADRed because of an outbreak of crickets on the underwater base set that would constantly chirp through every scene.