At the turn of the new century, Arnold Schwarzenegger was well on his way to the third act of his career. In another continent across the pond, Henry Cavill had only begun dreaming of the possibilities that lay in wait for him in Hollywood. But one movie would change all of that, launching the younger Brit into the path of fame and adoration and the older Austrian to regret turning down a film that churned out a massive profit.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger Turns Down The Count of Monte Cristo
2002 marked the conception of a dream in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s vast, committed, and unbelievable career. After dominating the realms of bodybuilding and filmmaking, the Austrian Oak turned his gaze toward the political front. His term would begin the next year when he won the gubernatorial recall election campaign to oust the incumbent Governor Joseph “Gray” Davis, making it the first successful attempt in the history of the Golden State. As such, when a film offer turned up on Schwarzenegger’s desk, it was readily turned down without much pondering.
The film turned out to be 2002’s The Count of Monte Cristo, one of the best book-to-film adaptations to exist to date. In the early days of its development process, the filmmakers involved could see the Austrian, with his accent, physique, idiosyncrasies, and all, playing the part of Edmond Dantès (the vengeful hero of the film). The offer later went to Jim Caviezel, an actor who rose to prominence with his role in the Oscar-nominated film, The Passion of the Christ, and was often typecast in parts that were brooding, traumatized, or deeply pained.
The Count of Monte Cristo: A Rare, Worthy Film Adaptation
For the partisans of the film and theatre industry, the Alexandre Dumas novels have become a major source of livelihood and entertainment, seeking manifold adaptations on the silver screens as well as the stage, or being remade in a more modern take. But while there can only be only so many d’Artagnan swashbuckling around being all chivalrous and heroic, the much darker, moodier, and sensational plot of The Count of Monte Cristo makes it a more attractive novel to adapt.
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Of the 27 musicals, TV movies, black-and-white films, and animations that exist, the 2002 adaptation is not only the latest (discounting the highly derivative Gankutsuo of 2004-05) but also the best one in color, to date. The film in its early stages of production had rolled out a coveted casting call carpet which saw the likes of Guy Pearce, Jim Caviezel, Luis Guzmán, Richard Harris, and Dagmara Dominczyk, but also boasted a young and green Henry Cavill in the roster.
Made on a budget of $35 million, it generated $75.4 million at the box office – a humble sum in an era of billion-dollar industries, but profitable all the same.
The Count of Monte Cristo currently holds a 73% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is available for streaming on Hulu.
Source: IMDb
