Trivia for
The Fountain (2006) More at IMDbPro »

• In early 2002, writer/director Darren Aronofsky cast Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in the central leads of Tom and Izzi with a budget of $75 million. During pre-production, Pitt and Aronofsky were having major creative differences, so Pitt left to film Troy (2004) instead and the film was shut down. In early 2004, with a smaller budget of $35 million, Aronofsky cast Hugh Jackman as Tom and Rachel Weisz replaced Blanchett as Izzi. Ironically, Pitt and Blanchett played a couple in a film that was released just before this one (Babel)
  
  
• Hugh Jackman had to shave off all of the hair on his head and chest for scenes in the last third of the movie.
  
  
• Instead of using CGI, Aronofsky chose to do the special effects for the film by using micro-photography of chemical reactions on tiny petri dishes. He has said that CGI would take away from the timelessness of the film and that he wants the film to stand the test of time.
  
  
• The original sets and props built in Australia when the project was to star Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett were auctioned off when the two stars left and Village Roadshow backed off.
  
  
• Aronofsky approached Jackman backstage during his performance of The Boy From Oz. The next day, the actor agreed to star in the film.
  
  
• Both Weisz and Jackman agreed to work on the film at a reduced rate.
  
  
• Warner Brothers had already invested 20 million dollars in the canceled version of the film before they agreed to finance the new, cheaper version.
  
  
• Darren Aronofsky did not shave his beard till the production was finished. This tradition started back while shooting his movie Pi (1998)
  
  
• Tom's last name is Creo which is Latin for "I create." Creo also means "I believe" in Spanish.
  
  
• Warner Bros refused to do a Director's Commentary for the DVD release, so Darren Aronofsky recorded one in his living room, and released it on his web site.
  
  
• The score, composed by Clint Mansell, is played by the Kronos Quartet and the Scottish rock band Mogwai.
  
  
• When the first version of the script was shelved and production was halted Aronofsky rewrote the script and re-envisioned the film. The first version of the script was turned into a graphic novel illustrated by Kent Williams and released as a softcover and limited edition hardback book. The final version of the film, with its reduced budget and new leading cast, made extensive use of unique non-CGI special effects to save on production costs and give the picture a more "organic" feel.
  
  
• Of the 70 extras cast as Mayan Warriors, 20 were actually real Mayans flown in from Guatemala. Actor Fernando Hernandez, who played the Lord of Xibalba, was the only one who could speak English. Before shooting at the Mayan pyramid, the Mayan actors blessed the set.
  
  
• The group of stars that appear at movie is the Orion constellation, and the Xibalba Nebula is knew in astronomy jargon as Messier 42, M42, NGC 1976 or Orion Nebula, located at 1270 light-years approximately from the Earth.
  
  
• The scene where Dr. Creo (Hugh Jackman) walks into traffic after leaving the hospital mirrors that of Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru (1952). In both scenes, both lead characters have left a hospital in shock. There is no audio until both characters step into traffic and a disgruntled driver blows their horn.
  
  
• A piano and vocal arrangement of the Clint Mansell "Stay With Me" theme was originally recorded for the end credits, with Justin Skomarovsky on piano and Antony Hegarty of the group Antony and the Johnsons on vocals. Director Darren Aronofsky didn't feel Antony's lyrics were appropriate for the film, so the director threw the song out and opted instead to record the arrangement as solo piano with session musician Randy Kerber.
  
  

• SPOILER: Izzi's full name (Izzy Creo) is quite a close phonetic translation for Spanish "And yes, I do believe" (Y sí, creo). At the very last scene, Tommy wipes the snow away and Izzi's name is shown on her grave.
  
  

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