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The Flight of the Phoenix (2004)

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  • Actor-Shared Background: Dennis Quaid is an experienced pilot.
  • Box-Office Bomb: Budget, $45 million. Box office, $34,586,264. Unlike the original, this was a financial and critical flop.
  • California Doubling: It was filmed in Nigeria rather than the actual setting of Mongolia.
  • Troubled Production: The filming process proved to be a fraught one:
    • Production equipment was constantly clogging with sand, causing delays so things could be cleaned.
    • The sand dunes were a continuity nightmare and hundreds of people were employed just to sweep them to try and maintain visual consistency.
    • A ferry carrying an aircraft set piece sank, requiring an expensive salvage operation.
    • One of the planes used for flying shots suffered a gash in its wing when a truck drove into it. Luckily the damage was superficial and could be quickly repaired.
    • Ciaran Barry, a camera operator, suffered two broken legs and severe head injuries after being run over by an 800-pound model of the Phoenix. He later sued and received millions in compensation.
    • Jared Padalecki was in an accident and flipped his vehicle.
  • What Could Have Been: Richard E. Grant was offered the role of Ian.

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