History Trivia / Dogma

** Creator/KevinSmith found Creator/LindaFiorentino so difficult to work with that he regretted not casting his first choice, Creator/JaneaneGarofalo (who played Bethany's co-worker Liz.) He later said after his 2018 heart attack that a number of people contacted him from his past, including Fiorentino, and he apologized to her for calling her out in the commentary track, saying it wasn't fair and that he really loved her performance in the film.

* HostilityOnTheSet: Using his indie cred and connections, Smith managed to assemble an all-star cast which included Creator/LindaFiorentino, who was already gaining a [[ThePrimaDonna reputation for being difficult to work with]]. This project was Fiorentino's last stab at relevancy and she repaid Smith by making his life a living hell, going so far as to not even speak to him on certain days. They reconciled in 2018 when Smith reached out to Fiorentino following his heart attack and she sent condolences.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: The film's last home video release was in 2008 on Blu-ray. By that point, all of the licensing deals which the Weinsteins had made had expired and because they were made prior to streaming becoming popular, a digital release was never negotiated. As a result, the film has never been available on a streaming service or for digital purchase. [=DVDs=] and Blu-rays of the film have since gone out of print, leading to inflated secondhand prices, typically over $50 for [=DVD=] and $200 for Blu-ray. The exclusive rights to the film are still held by the Weinsteins, who Kevin Smith wants nothing to do with any more after Harvey Weinstein's extensive history of sexual abuse came to light (he'd already been on bad terms with Weinstein since 2011, when Weinstein acted extremely disrespectfully at the premiere of Smith's film ''Film/RedState'', so it was personal and thensome).

** [[http://the-daily.buzz/priest-dies-comes-back-to-life/?ts_pid=2 And, then there's this....]]
* NamesTheSame: The angel Loki shares the name of the Norse trickster god; the angel Bartleby shares the name of a character from a Creator/HermanMelville short story.

* StarDerailingRole: After the film came out, Creator/KevinSmith went on at length to anyone who'd listen about how uncooperative Creator/LindaFiorentino was. As this was the latest in a string of negative stories about her on-set behavior, it severely dampened her already failing acting career, and most of her roles since have been either bombs or direct-to-video. He later said after his 2018 heart attack that a number of people contacted him from his past, including Fiorentino, and he apologized to her for calling her out in the commentary track, saying it wasn't fair and that he really loved her performance in the film. Her career was largely derailed due to the 1996 film Jade, which was so badly received by critics that it also derailed Creator/DavidCaruso's dreams of being a Hollywood leading man.

** Rufus' reply, "Know him? Nigga owes me twelve bucks!" when asked if he knows Christ, was one of the few lines ad-libbed by Creator/ChrisRock. When Rufus awakens on the train, he says the words "poopy trim", this was not in the script, but had been used in ''Film/{{Mallrats}}, when Willam is standing in front of the magic eye poster, he is woken from his trance by Brodie, and he says "poopy trim", and another ad-lib is when Rock calls Silent Bob "biggie". It was originally written as "tubby".

* DenialOfDigitalDistribution: Because the distribution deals surrounding the film were made before digital and streaming became prevalent, such a release was never negotiated. The rights are owned by now-disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein. Almost a week because everything was exposed Weinstein had actually contacted Smith about finally getting it onto streaming but obviously after everything broke that not only ended up not happening, but Smith suspected Weinstein had no serious intention of doing so and only used it as an excuse to call him because he wanted to see if Smith was aware of the allegations and had talked to any news outlets about it.

* DeletedRole: Ernie O'Donnell, a recurring actor in the View Askewniverse, played a reporter who tried to ask Cardinal Glick about his stance on John Doe Jersey during the Catholicism Wow press conference, only to get shot down. His scene didn't make it to the final cut.

* DenialOfDigitalDistribution: As mentioned below, because the distribution deals surrounding the film were made before digital and streaming became prevalent, such a release was never negotiated.
** The issue is as mentioned else, the rights are owned by now-disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein. Almost a week because everything was exposed Weinstein had actually contacted Smith about finally getting it onto streaming but obviously after everything broke that not only ended up not happening, but Smith suspected Weinstein had no serious intention of doing so and only used it as an excuse to call him because he wanted to see if Smith was aware of the allegations and had talked to any news outlets about it.

* DeletedRole: Ernie O'Donnell, a recurring actor in the View Askewniverse, shot a scene which didn't make it to the final cut in which he played a reporter who tried to ask Cardinal Glick his stance on John Doe Jersey, only to get shot down.

* NoExportForYou: The UK is stuck with a vanilla DVD (the extras are a trailer and few minutes of TV interviews with the cast). More galling because this edition is produced by Creator/Film4Productions who ''co-funded'' the production!

* ChannelHop: Creator/{{Disney}}, who owned Creator/MiramaxFilms at the time, got cold feet when the Catholic League began protesting the film and forced the Weinstein brothers to buy the film themselves. The Weinsteins then licensed it to Creator/{{Lionsgate}} for theatrical distribution and Columbia [=TriStar=] Home Entertainment for home video (Lionsgate was, at the time, a relatively-obscure, primarily Canadian film company with an even smaller home entertainment arm; they wouldn't acquire Artisan Entertainment for a couple more years). The result was ''Dogma'' becoming Lionsgate's highest-grossing film until the ''Film/{{Saw}}'' series, and one of the highest-grossing independent films ever.

** The issue is as mentioned else, the rights are owned by now disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein. Almost a week because everything was exposed Weinstein had actually contacted Smith about finally getting it onto streaming but obviously after everything broke that not only ended up not happening, but Smith suspected Weinstein had no serious intention of doing so and only used it as an excuse to call him because he wanted to see if Smith was aware of the allegations and had talked to any news outlets about it.

* NoExportForYou: The UK is stuck with a vanilla DVD (the extras are a trailer and few minutes of TV interviews with the cast). More galling because this edition is produced by Creator/FilmFour who ''co-funded'' the production!

** The cast was so intimidated having a respected actor like Alan Rickman onboard that Creator/JasonMewes memorized ''every character's dialogue'', not just his own. "I didn't wanna piss off that Rickman dude."

** Creator/KevinSmith found Creator/LindaFiorentino so difficult to work with that he regretted not casting his first choice, Creator/JaneaneGarofalo (who played Bethany's co-worker Liz).

* StarDerailingRole: After the film came out, Creator/KevinSmith went on at length to anyone who'd listen about how uncooperative Creator/LindaFiorentino was. As this was the latest in a string of negative stories about her on-set behavior, it severely dampened her already failing acting career, and most of her roles since have been either bombs or direct-to-video.

* OrphanedReference: Cardinal Glick places an odd emphasis on God being male, considering the final cut has nobody telling him otherwise.
* ScrewedByTheLawyers: The aforementioned copyright mix-up, along with Kevin Smith understandably not wanting to renegotiate a new distribution deal with the now-disgraced Harvey Weinstein, who still owns the rights to the film, are what's presently keeping it from getting a digital release. As he put it, "My film about angels is owned by the devil."
* StarDerailingRole: After the film came out, Kevin Smith went on at length to anyone who'd listen about how uncooperative Linda Fiorentino was. As this was the latest in a string of negative stories about her on-set behavior, it severely dampened her already failing acting career, and most of her roles since have been either bombs or direct-to-video.
* StillbornFranchise: After 9/11, Creator/KevinSmith toyed with the idea of doing a sequel about Islam and its relationship with Christianity, feeling that both the tragedy itself and the fallout afterwards were extremely religiously charged from both sides. This sequel would have followed Bethany's daughter, the ''new'' last scion, to be played either by Alanis Morissette or an actress who looked sufficiently similar to her. Her adventure to save humanity from a new religious threat would have involved recruiting Jay and Silent Bob, the latter of whom had become a loud, shouty, obnoxious televangelist preacher after the events of the first film. He eventually decided the subject was too complicated for him to handle gracefully and abandoned the idea.[[note]]According to Smith, Harvey Weinstein called him a week before the incriminating article about Weinstein's extensive history of sexual abuse was published to negotiate a possible sequel. Smith later realized that Weinstein had no interest in such a thing, rather he knew rumors about the article were already beginning to spread and [[SecretTestOfCharacter he was calling everyone he knew to see who was still on his side]].[[/note]]

** On the train when Silent Bob grabs Bartleby, he yells, "Schüler Bob? I'll get you for this Schüler Bob!" Creator/BenAffleck ad-libbed the line, much to the amusement of the cast and crew, intending it to be Silent Bob in German. Kevin Smith left it in even though Schüler is actually German for pupil.

** Creator/JoeyLaurenAdams was going to play Bethany, but Miramax only agreed to finance the production if it had a more recognizable actress in the role. Creator/GillianAnderson was also considered and Creator/ShannenDoherty wanted the role.

** Creator/EmmaThompson was also offered the role of God, but she turned it down in order to have a baby. At one point, Creator/HollyHunter was going to play the role. Creator/ShannenDoherty (who had been in another Smith film, ''Film/{{Mallrats}}'') wanted the role.

** The cast was so intimidated having a respected actor like Alan Rickman onboard that Jason Mewes memorized ''every character's dialogue'', not just his own. "I didn't wanna piss off that Rickman dude."

* AwesomeDearBoy: Creator/AlanRickman only had two questions before signing on as Metatron; if his angel wings would be real or CGI, and if all of his character's dialogue would be filmed as written. Kevin Smith confirmed the wings in his scenes would be real and that he wouldn't change a word in the script. After that, Rickman signed on.

** Creator/JoeyLaurenAdams was going to play Bethany, but Miramax only agreed to finance the production if it had a more recognizable actress in the role. Creator/GillianAnderson was also considered.

* ChannelHop: Creator/{{Disney}}, who owned Creator/MiramaxFilms at the time, got cold feet when the Catholic League began protesting the film and forced the Weinstein brothers to buy the film themselves. The Weinsteins then licensed it to Creator/{{Lionsgate}} for theatrical distribution and Columbia [=TriStar=] Home Entertainment for home video (Lionsgate was, at the time, a relatively-obscure, primarily Canadian film company with an even smaller home entertainment arm; they wouldn't acquire Artisan Entertainment for a couple more years). The result was ''Dogma'' becoming Lionsgate's highest-grossing film until ''Film/{{Twilight}}''[[note]]retroactively, as at the time of release ''Twilight'' was produced by Creator/SummitEntertainment; Summit was acquired by Lionsgate in 2012[[/note]] and one of the highest-grossing independent films ever.

** Creator/JoeyLaurenAdams was going to play Bethany, but Miramax only agreed to finance the production if it had a more recognizable actress in the role.

** Kevin Smith jokes that he originally wanted to end the film by God answering Bethany's "Why are we here?" question with "[[Film/TheGraduate I've got one word for you, just one: plastics!]]," resulting in [[YourHeadAsplode everyone's head blowing up]].
** Creator/GillianAnderson was considered for Bethany.
** At one point, Music/AlanisMorissette (yes, God herself) was going to play Bethany, but declined because it would have conflicted with her touring schedule. Creator/EmmaThompson was also offered the role, but she turned it down in order to have a baby.
** God was at one point supposed to be played by Holly Hunter (see above). Creator/ShannenDoherty (who had been in another Smith film, ''Film/{{Mallrats}}'') wanted the role.

* UncreditedRole: While Ethan Suplee did the voice of the Golgothan, there's no record of who physically portrayed the Golgothan.
* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The opening scene takes place in an airport, where Bartleby enjoys watching people meeting their loved ones right as they come off the plane.

* HostilityOnTheSet: Using his indie cred and connections, Smith managed to assemble an all-star cast which included Creator/LindaFionrentino, who was already gaining a [[ThePrimaDonna reputation for being difficult to work with]]. This project was Fionrentino's last stab at relevancy and she repaid Smith by making his life a living hell, going so far as to not even speak to him on certain days. They reconciled in 2018 when Smith reached out to Fionrentino following his heart attack and she sent condolences.

* AwesomeDearBoy: Alan Rickman only had two questions before signing on as Metatron; if his angel wings would be real or CGI, and if all of his character's dialogue would be filmed as written. Kevin Smith confirmed the wings in his scenes would be real and that he wouldn't change a word in the script. After that, Rickman signed on.

* HostilityOnTheSet: Using his indie cred and connections, Smith managed to assemble an all-star cast which included ''Men in Black''[='s=] Linda Fionrentino, who was already gaining a [[ThePrimaDonna reputation for being difficult to work with]]. This project was Fionrentino's last stab at relevancy and she repaid Smith by making his life a living hell, going so far as to not even speak to him on certain days.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: The film's last home video release was in 2008 on Blu-ray. By that point, all of the licensing deals which the Weinsteins had made had expired and because they were made prior to streaming becoming popular, a digital release was never negotiated. As a result, the film has never been available on a streaming service or for digital purchase. [=DVDs=] and Blu-rays of the film have since gone out of print, leading to inflated secondhand prices, typically over $50 for [=DVD=] and $200 for Blu-ray. The exclusive rights to the film are still held by the Weinsteins, who Kevin Smith wants nothing to do with any more after Harvey Weinstein's extensive history of sexual abuse came to light (he'd already been on bad terms with Weinstein since 2011, when Weinstein acted extremely disrespectfully at the premiere of Smith's film ''Film/RedState'', so it was personal and thensome).

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: The film's last home video release was in 2008 on Blu-ray. By that point, all of the licensing deals which the Weinsteins had made had expired and because they were made prior to streaming becoming popular, a digital release was never negotiated. As a result, the film has never been available on a streaming service or for digital purchase. [=DVDs=] and Blu-rays of the film have since gone out of print, leading to inflated secondhand prices, typically over $50 for [=DVD=] and $200 for a Blu-ray. The exclusive rights to the film are still held by the Weinsteins, who Kevin Smith wants nothing to do with any more after Harvey Weinstein's extensive history of sexual abuse came to light (he'd already been on bad terms with Weinstein since 2011, when Weinstein acted extremely disrespectfully at the premiere of Smith's film ''Film/RedState'', so it was personal and thensome).

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: The film's last home video release was in 2008 on Blu-ray. By that point, all of the licensing deals which the Weinsteins had made had expired and because they were made prior to streaming becoming popular, a digital release was never negotiated. As a result, the film has never been available on a streaming service or for digital purchase. [=DVDs=] and Blu-rays of the film have since gone out of print, leading to inflated prices on retailers, typically over $50 for [=DVD=] and $200 for a Blu-ray. The exclusive rights to the film are still held by the Weinsteins, who Kevin Smith wants nothing to do with any more after Harvey Weinstein's extensive history of sexual abuse came to light (he'd already been on bad terms with Weinstein since 2011, when Weinstein acted extremely disrespectfully at the premiere of Smith's film ''Film/RedState'', so it was personal and thensome).

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: The film's last home video release was in 2008 for blu-ray. By that point, all of the licensing deals which the Weinsteins had made had expired and because they were made prior to streaming becoming popular, a digital release was never negotiated and all home released of the film have since gone out of print. The exclusive rights to the film are still held by the Weinsteins, who Kevin Smith wants nothing to do with any more after Harvey Weinstein's extensive history of sexual abuse has been unearthed (he'd already been on bad terms with Weinstein since 2011, when Weinstein acted extremely disrespectfully at the premiere of Smith's film ''Film/RedState'', so it was personal and thensome).

** Joey Lauren Adams was going to play Bethany, but Miramax only agreed to finance the production if it had a more recognizable actress in the role.

* WorkingTitle: While in production, the project's name was ''Bearclaw''.

* StillbornFranchise: After 9/11, Creator/KevinSmith toyed with the idea of doing a sequel about Islam and its relationship with Christianity, feeling that both the tragedy itself and the fallout afterwards were extremely religiously charged from both sides. He eventually decided the subject was too complicated for him to handle gracefully and abandoned the idea.[[note]]According to Smith, Harvey Weinstein called him a week before the incriminating article about Weinstein's extensive history of sexual abuse was published to negotiate a possible sequel. Smith later realized that Weinstein had no interest in such a thing, rather he knew rumors about the article were already beginning to spread and [[SecretTestOfCharacter he was calling everyone he knew to see who was still on his side]].[[/note]]

** A few of Kevin's early plans for the unmade sequel were eventually revealed: The film would have followed Bethany's daughter, the ''new'' last scion, to be played either by Alanis Morissette or an actress who looked sufficiently similar to her. Her adventure to save humanity from a new religious threat would have involved recruiting Jay and Silent Bob, the latter of whom had become a loud, shouty, obnoxious televangelist preacher after the events of the first film.

* ScrewedByTheLawyers: The aforementioned copyright mix-up, along with Kevin Smith understandably not wanting to renegotiate a new distribution deal with the now-disgraced Harvey Weinstein, who still owns the rights to the film, are what's presently keeping it from getting a digital release. As he put it, "My film about angels is owned by the devil." However, since Harvey Weinstein is now serving 23 years in prison for sexual assault and rape, the film rights presumably went to his brother Bob Weinstein, who still runs Creator/DimensionFilms after Creator/TheWeinsteinCompany went under and its library auctioned to Lantern Entertainment.

* ChannelHop: Creator/{{Disney}}, who owned Creator/MiramaxFilms at the time, got cold feet when the Catholic League began protesting the film and forced the Weinstein brothers to buy the film themselves. The Weinsteins then licensed it to Creator/{{Lionsgate}} for theatrical distribution and [[Creator/RCAColumbiaPicturesHomeVideo Columbia [=TriStar=] Home Entertainment]] for home video (Lionsgate was, at the time, a relatively-obscure, primarily Canadian film company with an even smaller home entertainment arm; they wouldn't acquire [[Creator/InternationalVideoEntertainment Artisan Entertainment]] for a couple more years). The result was ''Dogma'' becoming Lionsgate's highest-grossing film until ''Film/{{Twilight}}''[[note]]retroactively, as at the time of release ''Twilight'' was produced by Creator/SummitEntertainment; Summit was acquired by Lionsgate in 2012[[/note]] and one of the highest-grossing independent films ever.