Trivia / Death Wish II

• Actor-Inspired Element: Michael Winner gave the actors playing the thugs a lot of creative leeway. They bought their own costumes, designed their own makeup and tested them out on passers-by to see how intimidating they'd look. Laurence Fishburne bought a pair of magician's gloves and waved his knife like a wand, while Kevyn Major Howard developed mannerisms like his insane laugh, slapping his head and twirling a baton from seeing a live drummer in a punk band.
• Career Resurrection: Michael Winner hadn't had a hit film since Death Wish.
• Creator Backlash: Writer David Englebach was appalled at the changes made to his script.
• Dawson Casting: Paul Kersey's driver's license shows his date of birth as 4 October 1935 and his age as 45. Charles Bronson was 59 at the time.
• Dyeing for Your Art: Kevyn Major Howard waxed his eyebrows and shaved the front of his head to make himself look like a snake.
• The Other Darrin: Unsurprisingly Kathleen Tolan didn't return as poor Carol (Kersey's daughter), with Robin Sherwood replacing her in the sequel.
• Real-Life Relative: Charles Bronson and his co-star Jill Ireland were married in real life.
• Release Date Change: The film was originally intended for release around the Christmas of 1981. Filmways decided to postpone release until February 1982, in order to face weaker competition for an audience. The strategy apparently worked, since the film became the top grossing film of its opening week.
• Wag the Director: Charles Bronson insisted that if Jill Ireland was to be cast as the love interest, her character would not be brutalized or assaulted by any of the villains. His mandate was accepted by the producers.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Isaac Hayes was approached to do the music for the film.
  • The original script set the action in San Francisco.
  • Originally Natalie Wood would have starred in this movie and Menahem Golan was planned to direct.