Around the World in 80 Days was an adventure comedy film made in 2004. The film featured the martial art star Jackie Chan in the leading role, alongside Steve Coogan and Cécile de France. The movie is based on Jules Verne’s 1873 novel of the same name. It is also the remake of the movie of the same name, released in 1956. It had an excellent plot, fabulous actors, and a massive budget, yet it failed to perform at the box office.
The film was produced by Warner Bros. and directed by Frank Coraci, following the success of their previous film The Mummy.
Jackie Chan’s Around the World in 80 Days was inspired by The Mummy
As per the reports, Warner Bros. owned the rights to the 1956 adaptation of the film and planned their remake with Jackie Chan as the lead. Warner Bros. decided to do the film after the grand success of Stephen Sommers’s directorial, The Mummy, with Brendan Fraser as the lead. Stan Chervin wrote its script and was directed by Frank Coraci.
Before taking up the film, the director Coraci read the original novel and watched the 1956 film. He realized that the story didn’t have a strong lead character. Hence, he decided to make some prominent changes in the plot, like giving Phileas Fogg an arc. Coraci’s initially wanted to cast Johnny Depp for the role of Fogg, but studio executives at the time didn’t think Depp would be accepted in a family movie. It was way before the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
Hence, Jackie Chan was announced to play the lead named Passepartout in June 2002. The action star was paid $18 million for the role. After Chan was cast the filmmakers selected actor Steve Coogan for Fogg.
Jackie Chan on his stunts in Around the World in 80 Days
In conversation with The Early Show, Jackie Chan opened up about his work in the film. Talking about his stunts, in the film directed by Frank Coraci, he said,
“Sometimes, the director is crazy. Sometimes, I really want to put him up (to do the stunts).”
“This is a hilarious movie. Frank was very open to all the ideas I had for the action scenes. We both like to make people laugh, and I think people are going to laugh when they see this movie. It’s a lot of fun.”
Chan shared that he had the stunt team that he has personally trained and the team goes with him in every movie. Chan notes that action scenes in Hollywood are very different from moviemaking in Hong Kong. Rush Hour star added,
“When I’m making a Hollywood film, they so protect me. Whatever I do, ‘Wait, wait, wait, let me check first. Let everybody check.’ There’s a safety captain on the set, an ambulance on the set, and so many people watching me. In China, in the old days in Hong Kong, we don’t care. Rolling, do it, boom, ow! Make sure the camera got the shot. OK, send me to the hospital. It’s different.”
The film had a production cost of about $110 million and estimated marketing costs of $30 million. But it managed to earn only $72 million worldwide, making it a massive box office failure. It also received negative comments from critics for lack of coherence from the original book.
Around the World in 80 Days is available for streaming on Disney+.
Source-CBS
