Line #10 Trivia/SomethingWickedThisWayComes


1	* AbilityOverAppearance: The Dust Witch was implied to be white and a hideous old crone in the book. She becomes a glamorous HotWitch, as well as African-American, because the filmmakers wanted Creator/PamGrier in the film.
2	* BoxOfficeBomb: Budget, $19 million (estimated). Box office, $8.4 million.
3	* CastTheRunnerUp:
4	** Creator/JasonRobards was originally considered for Mr. Dark.
5	** Shawn Carson had been reading for Will, and Vidal Peterson had been reading for Jim. Creator/RayBradbury however thought they'd be better suited for the opposite parts and so they swapped.
6	* CreatorBacklash: The original filmmakers weren't pleased with the changes Disney forced through (see below).
7	* CreatorKiller: This ultimately became the final straw for newly-installed Disney CEO Ron Miller. He released ''Film/{{Splash}}'' the next year under the new Touchstone label, but was dethroned by Paramount president Michael Eisner anyway.
8	* DarkhorseCasting: Creator/JonathanPryce was cast as Mr Dark because Disney wanted an unknown actor to keep the budget down.
9	* DeletedScene: A special-effects sequence that took place at the beginning of the film was cut shortly before the movie hit theaters. In this sequence, the carnival materializes from the smoke of the train, the smoke from the engine "becomes ropes and canvas tents. Tree limbs grow together to form a ferris wheel and a spider web mutates into a wheel of fortune." This sequence was the first time that computer animation was used to animate organic material, and it was combined with traditional animation. The scene was deemed not convincing enough, by Disney executives, and was cut from the film at the very last minute.
10	* DisownedAdaptation: Downplayed. Due to all the studio meddling, Ray Bradbury referred to the final cut as "not a great film no, but a decidedly nice one."
11	* DyeingForYourArt: Vidal Peterson had to have his dark hair lightened to blond to play Will, while Shawn Carson had to have his hair dyed black to play Jim.
12	* ExecutiveMeddling: Disney made many changes to the film which Creator/RayBradbury and director Jack Clayton did not intend. Many extra special effects scenes were shot by a second unit director after original production wrapped, and other changes were made before its release - most obviously the spider sequence and mirror maze climax. According to the laserdisc commentary by Bradbury, much of his original intentions for the movie were destroyed. Jack Clayton was forced by the studio to hire John Mortimer to do an uncredited rewrite of the script.
13	* FollowTheLeader: Creator/StephenKing did his own take on the premise with ''Literature/NeedfulThings''.
14	* PlayingAgainstType: Pam Grier of course got fame in the 70s and 80s for playing heroic {{Action Girl}}s in {{Blaxploitation}} films. Here, she has a creepier and more mysterious role as the vampy Dust Witch.
15	* ReferencedBy: The HeavyMetal band Lock Up titled their only album, released in 1989, ''Something Bitchin' This Way Comes.''
16	* ScullyBox: Creator/JonathanPryce is an impressive 6 foot 1 inch tall, but during the Parade scene you can clearly see he is wearing two inch heel shoes. This was done to make him appear extra tall & menacing. Much taller than the surrounding cast.
17	* StarMakingRole: Creator/JonathanPryce's turn as Mr. Dark was eye-opening.
18	* UncreditedRole: John Mortimer did an uncredited contribution to the screenplay.
19	* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
20	** The story began its life as a screenplay in 1958, inspired by ''Film/SinginInTheRain''. Creator/GeneKelly was ecstatic to do it and shopped it around as his next film. After he was unable to fund it, Ray Bradbury instead wrote it as a novel. There's a dedication to Gene Kelly.
21	** Creator/RalphBakshi was tapped to direct the film. Like ''Film/BladeRunner'', he passed on it.
22	** Creator/RutgerHauer, Creator/ChristopherLee and Creator/PeterOToole were considered for the part of Mr. Dark. Creator/EdwardJamesOlmos was offered the role, but turned it down.
23	** Creator/KirkDouglas bought the rights and originally intended to produce as well as play the role of the father. His son Peter Douglas remained on the project as producer.
24	** Creator/{{Disney}} regulars Creator/{{Darren McGavin}}, Creator/DickVanDyke, and Creator/DeanJones were the first considerations for Charles Halloway. Creator/WalterMatthau, Creator/JackLemmon, Creator/JamesGarner, and Creator/HalHolbrook were also considered.
25	** Creator/RayBradbury asked both Creator/DavidLean and Creator/StevenSpielberg if they were interested in directing the film.
26	** Creator/SamPeckinpah briefly flirted with the idea of filming the story, but was unable to raise the necessary financing.
27	** Creator/StephenKing wrote a rejected adaptation.
28	** Before production on the movie began, Don Coscarelli had hoped to adapt the book himself. Unfortunately for him, the rights had already been sold by that point. He ended up making ''Film/{{Phantasm}}'', which he has said took some inspiration from ''Something Wicked This Way Comes''.

Context Trivia / SomethingWickedThisWayComes