This article originally appeared at EightiesKids.com

The film was originally titled Tentacle

Deep Rising is the fourth feature film made by American writer-director Stephen Sommers. When he began working on the script in the mid-90s, his original working title was Tentacle – a clearer reflection of the film’s central threat. in the end it was instead decided to give the film a more ambiguous, largely spoiler-free title, hence Deep Rising was chosen.

The film’s budget was slashed when Harrison Ford turned down the lead role

Stephen Sommers wrote the role of Deep Rising’s hero John Finnegan with Harrison Ford in mind. When Ford was in the frame to take the role, studio interest in the project increased – and along with it, the budget. Unfortunately, Ford wound up turning down Deep Rising, hence the film’s budget was greatly reduced to $45 million. Finnegan was instead played by the lesser-known Treat Williams.

Claire Forlani was originally cast as Trillian, but left the movie three days in

Deep Rising’s female lead Trillian St. James was originally set to be played by British actress Claire Forlani. However, Forlani would only spend three days on the Deep Rising set before leaving the production. Reports vary as to just what transpired, and whether Forlani quit or was fired from the movie.

Famke Janssen almost wasn’t cast in Forlani’s place over concerns she was too famous

Deep Rising needed a new leading lady at very short notice, but Famke Janssen’s casting was initially questioned. When Harrison Ford dropped out, Stephen Sommers decided he wanted a largely unknown cast, and there were concerns that Janssen might already be too big a star because of her role in Bond movie GoldenEye.

The film was shot in a giant water tank in Vancouver because Los Angeles was too expensive

As Deep Rising is set entirely at sea, the filmmakers needed to shoot much of the film in a water tank, but they were unable to rent any such facility in LA for less than $200,000. Production was subsequently moved to a cheaper tank in Vancouver, Canada. Ironically, this tank wound up bursting and flooding nearby housing, a misfortune that ultimately cost the film $600,000.

The special effects took so long that the film’s release was delayed by over a year

Back in the 90s, producing high-quality CGI was a costly and time-consuming business. This became an issue on Deep Rising, as so much needed to be added digitally in post-production that it delayed the film’s release. Originally Disney’s in-house computer animators were given the job alone, but eventually extra staff from famed SFX company Industrial Light & Magic were hired to help complete the film.

Famke Janssen hated having to play another role that focused on her beauty

As a model-turned-actress, Famke Janssen had often cast based on her looks, and by Deep Rising she had grown tired of this. Janssen complained on-set about her clothing and make-up as she felt the character should be more down to earth. This may explain why Trillian changes from a glamorous red dress to a simple T-shirt and jeans midway through.

The film was almost re-cut for a PG-13 rating

Deep Rising is not necessarily a film to be watched with all the family, with a fairly high level of gore and profanity. Even so, at one point production house Hollywood Pictures attempted to tone the film down for a PG-13 rating. However, it eventually became clear that the film simply wouldn’t work with its R-rated content excised, so these plans were abandoned.

The ending was originally meant to set up a King Kong reboot

Deep Rising ends with the few survivors washing up on a small island, where they hear an almighty roar from the jungle. The idea was that they had landed on Skull Island, and this was meant to set the scene for a King Kong reboot which Stephen Sommers would write and direct. This plan was abandoned when Sommers instead went on to make The Mummy.

Kevin J. O’Connor ad-libbed many of his lines

Taking sidekick duties on Deep Rising is Kevin J. O’Connor as Joey Pantucci. Stephen Sommers took a shine to O’Connor, and was delighted by the lines of dialogue the actor improvised during the shoot, such as when Joey asks if a person can “suddenly get asthma.” Sommers would later cast O’Connor again in The Mummy, Van Helsing, and GI Joe: Rise of Cobra.

There were over 400 extras on set for the early cruise liner sequence

Deep Rising is mostly set on an eerie, abandoned cruise liner, but early on there are a whole lot more people aboard the luxurious ship. To shoot the early party sequence, more than 400 extras were hired, and capturing all the footage they needed with this large number of people took the crew five days.

Kevin J. O’Connor wound up heavily bruised from the scene where he gets beaten up

Making action-oriented movies can be a hazardous business, Kevin J. O’Connor found this out the hard way shooting one particularly dark scene in which he is knocked down, kicked and punched by the mob of mercenaries. The safety padding O’Connor was fitted with didn’t entirely do the trick, and he wound up covered in bruises afterwards, which director Stephen Sommers felt “horrible” about.

The film’s release was pushed back to avoid clashes with Con Air and Starship Troopers

Deep Rising was originally intended to open in the summer of 1997, but studio Disney also had Con Air – another R-rated, action-heavy movie – coming out around the same time, so they moved the monster movie to November. However, once again there was another major R-rated movie opening that month, Starship Troopers, so Deep Rising was moved a third and final time to February 1998.

The film was destroyed at the box office by Titanic

When Deep Rising finally opened, a certain other ship-based movie was still on screens: Titanic, which had unexpectedly become a blockbuster of unprecedented proportions. Even though the romantic disaster movie had been in cinemas for almost three months when Deep Rising opened, it was still dominating the box office. It proved an insurmountable obstacle to Deep Rising, which wound up grossing a mere $11.2 million.

The marketing campaign centered on the special effects artists

Deep Rising did not boast any major stars in its cast (sorry, Treat Williams), nor was director Stephen Sommers that well known. This left the marketing team at a bit of a loss, so the decision was made to sell Deep Rising on its SFX. One Deep Rising poster instead sported the words, ‘From the Special Effect Team who made Total Recall and Star Wars.”

The film’s box office failure sank the production company

Deep Rising’s production company Cinergi enjoyed varying fortunes in the 90s, making such hits as Tombstone and Die Hard with a Vengeance alongside such notorious flops as Super Mario Bros and Judge Dredd. Deep Rising’s box office failure didn’t help their fortunes, and when their next release – Burn Hollywood Burn: An Alan Smithee Film – bombed critically and commercially, Cinergi folded in mid-1998.

Roger Ebert declared it one of his most hated movies

Today, Deep Rising is widely considered one of the best monster movies of the 90s by fans, but on release in 1998 it was a different story. With only a few exceptions, the initial reviews that Deep Rising received were overwhelmingly negative. Notably, esteemed film critic Roger Ebert listed Deep Rising among his most hated films of that year.

Kevin J. O’Connor’s character originally died, but he was kept alive after test audiences objected

Originally, Kevin J. O’Connor’s Joey was not intended to survive the monster battle on the Argonautica. However, test audiences loved the character, and voiced their displeasure when he was killed off. This prompted a rethink, and a reshoot, to make Joey a survivor alongside Treat Williams’ Finnegan and Famke Janssen’s Trillian.

Treat Williams described the making of the movie as “fun, fun, fun”

The late Treat Williams is said to have summed up his experience on Deep Rising in three words: “Fun, fun fun!” The 1998 movie is one of the few big-budget films to have given Williams a leading role. Starting in the 70s, Williams made over 130 screen appearances before sadly passing away in June 2023 after a motorcycle accident.

The edited-for-TV version makes Stephen Sommers cry

Stephen Sommers notes that, when Deep Rising is shown on US television, it’s in a significantly different cut. First off, its R-rated content is censored, and other cuts are also made to accommodate commercial breaks, so overall it runs about 30 minutes shorter. Sommers remarked that screenings of this condensed version are “good for my pocketbook, but it makes me cry sometimes.”

The film was supposed to begin with an epic underwater sequence

Time and money constraints meant that the director’s ambitious vision for Deep Rising had to be pared-back somewhat. Originally, the film was originally going to open with a large-scale underwater sequence (the details of which have not been disclosed), but with multiple teams of CGI artists working overtime and deadlines looming, this had to be abandoned.

Several cast members went on to appear in Marvel movies

A good few members of Deep Rising’s cast would later appear in Marvel movies. Most famously, Famke Janssen played Jean Grey in X-Men movies, and Djimon Hounsou played Korath in Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel. Leila actress Una Damon also has a small role in 2002’s Spider-Man, while Derrick O’Connor appears in 2003’s Daredevil and Jason Flemyng is Azazel in X-Men: First Class.

The character of Captain Atherton was named after the film’s cinematographer

Deep Rising co-stars the late Irish actor Derrick O’Connor as Captain H.W. Atherton, captain of cruise liner the Argonautica. Writer-director Stephen Sommers named the character in honour of one of the key members of his crew: Howard Atherton, who was Deep Rising’s director of photography.

Famke Janssen’s character takes her name from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Famke Janssen’s character name, Trillian St. James, is somewhat unusual. Writer-director Stephen Sommers borrowed the name from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, British writer Douglas Adams’ classic science fiction comedy. Trillian (a space-worthy abbreviation of Trisha McMillan) was portrayed by Sandra Dickinson in the 1981 Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy TV series, and later by Zooey Deschanel in the 2005 movie.

Director Stephen Sommers would reunite with composer Jerry Goldsmith on The Mummy

Deep Rising was the first time that director Stephen Sommers worked with Jerry Goldsmith, an esteemed composer whose career saw him earn 17 Oscar nominations and one win for The Omen. Sommers was clearly pleased with Goldsmith’s work on Deep Rising, as he hired the composer again on his next movie, The Mummy. Sadly, Goldsmith died of cancer in July 2004 aged 75.

Despite its failings, Deep Rising is considered a cult classic

OK, it didn’t shine out as an award-winning classic of its time, but Deep Rising has gone on to develop its own fan base, especially amongst fans of Stephen Sommers. Indeed, Stephen Sommers later said “It didn’t do a ton of business, but it has a very fervent following.” You can’t fault a fan base.

To make the movie, two models of the ship were created

While much of the movie was created in CGI, some of the shots of the Argonautica were taken with the use of two custom-built models. One was a 38-foot model for use on the Ocean, while the other was a huge 110-foot model specifically made for when the ship sunk. Imagine seeing your carefully constructed ship being destroyed, all in a day’s work.

It was meant to be the first big monster movie in years

Frustratingly for all involved, Deep Rising was delayed due to complications with the special effects, which set the release back a good year. It was intended to be the first movie in years to revolve around a huge monster (or monsters), and yet it ended up following a series of other big monster movies such as Anaconda, The Relic, and Guillermo del Toro’s Mimic.

The director of photography had his own challenges

Howard Atherton, the director of photography for Deep Rising, told director Stephen Sommers that he was having “a lot of problems” working with him. That might sound derogatory, but he explained that he normally derived his creativity from personal antagonism at the directors he worked with. There just wasn’t enough rage as he liked Sommers too much. Tough gig.

Screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen had a hand in the script

He may be uncredited for his work on Deep Rising, but Robert Mark Kamen is a machine when it comes to writing movies. His list of films goes on and on, including Taken (and its sequels), The Karate Kid trilogy and The Fifth Element. So, despite the ravaging that Deep Rising took from the critics, it’s not all bad.

The monster was created by the designer of The Thing

If you’ve never seen the horror movie The Thing (the original from 1982, specifically), it’s an absolute classic. The man behind the monster was one Rob Bottin, and what a monster it was. He also worked on the original Robocop. So it’s only right to recognise that his skills were utilized sensibly in the crafting on the aquatic horror on Deep Rising. Kudos to you, Mr Bottin.

The score was composed by the renowned Jerry Goldsmith

There’s bound to be something you’ve seen that had the talents of the late, Oscar-winning Jerry Goldsmith at the musical helm. He was conductor for Steven Sommers’ best-known movie, The Mummy, pretty much all of the Star Trek franchise, and a raft of other things as far back as 1957. He has 96 award nominations and 43 awards to his name. The man was a legend.

One reason for its cult following is the mash-up of genres

One of the biggest attributes of Steven Sommers is his ability to take separate movie genres and skilfully weave them into one film. Deep Rising has comedy, action, horror, guts and gore aplenty. It’s sassy, shocking and tongue-in-cheek. It knows it’s not going to win any serious critical claim, but it’s OK with that – what Deep Rising has is a community of die-hard fans. Deservedly.

Kevin J. O’Connor worked with Steven Sommers again

Kevin J. O’Connor played the comedic role of Joey the engineer in Deep Rising, and he must have had the odd joke or two with director Steven Sommers during filming, as we saw him again in The Mummy (Sommers’ best-known movie), Van Helsing and then in a cameo in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Goes to show, it’s often not what you know, but who…

The character of Mason got a brief respite from death

According to the commentary on the Blu-ray DVD released in 2018, Mason (played by Clifton Powell) was originally scripted to die earlier in the plot. Sommers told him he could “live” an extra twenty pages if he could swim underwater. Powell said that he could, except he failed to mention that he was scared of the murky water. Whoops.

Deep Rising shares a love of jet ski action

Something about 1990s movies seems to endorse jet-skis, and it’s hard to pinpoint why. It doesn’t matter– as long as the film isn’t taking itself too seriously, what’s wrong with some overzealous jet-skiing? This is a feature that Deep Rising shares with the ropey sequel Speed 2: Cruise Control, the overly wet action heist Hard Rain, starring Morgan Freeman and Christian Slater, and of course, Waterworld. Good, soggy fun.

Treat Williams’ character catchphrase was changed from the script

It might seem like a tedious fact, but think about it – there may be good reason. The original script had Treat Williams’ character, John Finnegan, down to say “what now?” However, you’ll hear him repeat the phrase “now what?” You might speculate that they’re effectively the same, but you might believe that one indicates a desire for a solution, while the other is much more negative and clueless. You decide.

The monster in Deep Rising is inspired by a genuine prehistoric worm

Ottoia worms did exist, way back when – as in, it is now only available in fossil form. Having said that, there is speculation that the modern-day equivalent is the bobbit worm, “eunice aphroditois”. This charming-looking creature can grow up to three meters long, and it looks gruesome. There is also another name for the ottoia worm – but not one you can use in polite company!

Famke Janssen has battled her own monster

She comes across as a badass on screen, in Deep Rising and in her other roles, but Famke Janssen is more timid in reality. In an interview with The Independent in 2022 she admitted to doing battle with a spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect from China and Vietnam spreading across north-eastern USA. Did she win? We’ll never know.

Famke Janssen has directed her own movie

She has yet to find the commercial (if not critical) success that Steven Sommers has, but Famke Janssen has stepped into the melee of screenwriting and directing in the past. Back in 2011, her debut movie saw the release of Bringing Up Bobby, starring Milla Jovovich and Bill Pullman. Critics largely slated it, and so Janssen has yet to brave directing again. Maybe one day.

Treat Williams was a phenomenal actor, not just in Deep Rising

Sadly, Treat Williams passed away in June, so it’s only right to reflect upon his acting career, not least the first decade. He worked with a series of top directors, including Steven Spielberg, and once said “I always felt like the kid that sat at the foot of the gods.” He starred in The Eagle Has Landed and Once Upon A Time in America, and he was the lead in the award-winning musical adaptation Hair. The list could go on and on.

Treat Williams and Famke Janssen faced a cannon during filming

Director Steven Sommers asked Rob Bottin, the special effects designer, to supply a rubber tentacle of the beast for the shot at 57 minutes in. After weeks of waiting, six crates were delivered that contained rubber tentacles – and tubing for a cannon! Needless to say, Treat Williams and Famke Janssen weren’t keen on the idea.

The monster shares traits with real-life octopuses

One of the indulgences of watching Deep Rising is the enjoyment of seeing an immense sea monster gobbling up the characters. Whilst the script compares the beast to a prehistoric sea worm, the detaching tentacles bear some similarity to an octopus. Who knew that if an octopus loses part of its tentacle, it can regrow it? It’s true what they say – the truth is stranger than fiction!

One scene in Deep Rising is borrowed from The Thing

As mentioned on the commentary for the 2012 blu-ray release of Deep Rising, it turns out that a scene that shows the ship’s floorboards flipping as the monster moves underneath is apparently borrowed from the John Carpenter classic, The Thing. Rob Bottin, who designed the monster in Deep Rising, was also in charge of The Thing – hence the usage.

The movie Deep Rising has a namesake

A documentary on deep sea mineral mining shares its name and some underwater footage with the movie, but that’s all – it’s about as stimulating as dry toast. Jason Momoa, the narrator and executive producer, doesn’t add any of his Aquaman charisma here, so unless you’re a staunch environmentalist, you might prefer to stick to the pleasure of the 1998 cult classic instead.

The ship Argonautica in Deep Rising is named after a Greek poem

 

The luxury cruise ship in Deep Rising was doomed to failure even before it was overrun by a giant man-eating beast. When you consider that the original poem it was named after told the story of Jason and the Argonauts and their infamous quest for the Golden Fleece (a must-have for anyone’s wardrobe), maybe it was inevitable. Perhaps not all that far removed from the idea of a group of mercenaries sent to hijack a luxury cruise ship.

Deep Rising isn’t the first sea monster horror

Since Deep Rising, there have been a plethora of sea monster-themed movies, although whether they are as good – or as bad – as Deep Rising is a matter of opinion. In fact, three from the list were released back in 1989 – Leviathan and Deep Star Six, neither of which had much critical acclaim (like Deep Rising), and the rather more popular The Abyss, starring Ed Harris. You can’t beat a sea monster, it seems.

Sea monster stories go back to ancient times

Look in a religious text or in stories of old and, chances are, you’ll come across references to the leviathan. It goes back to Mesopotamian mythology – yeah, it’s that old – so it’s no wonder that stories about creatures of the deep are so popular. Whether it’s considered to be good or evil depends on which source you refer to, but its power and sheer size seems to be undisputed. In short, it’s awesome – in the truest sense of the word.

Anthony Heald and Famke Janssen were both in X-Men: The Last Stand

The X-Men franchise is hugely popular, with a big fan base, and it might be Famke Janssen’s best known role as the troubled Jean Grey. However, what might not be so well known is that Anthony Heald was also in this particular X-Men movie, as the FBI investigator chasing down Mystique. It won’t be his best-known work, given his career, but it reprises these two acting talents in this award-winning film.

Industrial Light and Magic, who did the CGI for Deep Rising, was created by George Lucas

Some might think that the special effects in Deep Rising look a bit dated, but they were created by Industrial Light and Magic, the special effects company that George Lucas founded back in 1975. Its original purpose was to provide the effects on Star Wars, but it expanded in 1978 and has since provided special effects for over 300 films, including the Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park series – and Deep Rising, of course.

Cliff Curtis has an extensive career, including more sea monster movies

Cliff Curtis has had quite the career, before and since Deep Rising. As Mamooli we saw him dragged to his death by the (then unseen) creature in Deep Rising. He clearly wasn’t put off films about deadly sea beasts, as we see him as Mac in The Meg and reprising the same role in its sequel, Meg 2: The Trench (both starring Jason Statham). Oh, and just like Deep Rising, it’s got jet skis.

Most of the bad guys end up dead – and not just in Deep Rising

The mercenaries in Deep Rising mostly meet a sticky end. The actors seem game for a messy death elsewhere too – Jason Flemyng was the ill-fated Santa in Seed of Chucky. Clifton Powell’s J-Bird died in Bones (starring Snoop Dogg). Trevor Goddard was Kano in Mortal Kombat, and Djimon Hounsou was an island resident in A Quiet Place Part 2. Finally, poor partly digested Billy, courtesy of Clint Curtis, as Billy Freeman in Doctor Sleep.

The early party sequence has its own blooper

Granted, every film has its own goofs and blunders, and some of us never notice, whilst others actively look for them. The most obvious in Deep Rising has to be the boom operator standing close to Anthony Heald as he toasts The Argonautica. Given the 450 odd extras, maybe you wouldn’t spot him – but all the same, that’s a blooper alright!

See if you can spot the hidden Mickey Mouse

Hard to find, but one particularly gory scene is said to include a plaster skeleton of Mickey Mouse, designed and planted by special effects artist Stephan Dupuis, to amuse the executives at Disney. He said, “I’m not quite sure what they thought of it, but I thought it was pretty funny.” Oh, you prankster, Stephan!

They had to make molds of Clint Curtis

Oftentimes when watching a gory scene in a movie, you might find yourself wondering how on earth they made something look so convincing, or just so … disgusting. Well, for partially disgested Billy, they made molds of Clint Curtis’ body and then filled the molds with gelatin, creating gooey skin applications. Overall, a pretty impressive effect – and not for the faint of heart.