Some interesting trivia courteous of
IMDB</p>
</p>
Antoine Fuqua was originally set to direct this project in 2004 with
Denzel Washington and
Benicio Del Toro starring, but production was halted one month before shooting after Universal Pictures canceled the film over budget concerns.</p>
The real Richie Roberts and Frank Lucas were major consultants to director
Ridley Scott on the New York set of this film.</p>
During the initial stages of development in 2001,
Oliver Stone crafted the story as a more direct adaptation of
Mark Jacobson's 'New York Magazine' article, focusing primarily on Frank Lucas's ascent to power. An integral part in Stone's vision of the story was centered on Lucas's journey to Southeast Asia, particularly on how he established his narcotics manufactory in the midst of the Vietnam conflict.</p>
After
Oliver Stone had departed the project,
Steven Zaillian commenced scripting his own version of the film. Instead of featuring Frank Lucas as the central character, Zaillian delved more into the dynamic between cop and criminal, incorporating Detective Richie Roberts into the story, as well as explaining how Lucas was finally brought to justice. Stone's vision dealt exclusively with Frank Lucas and his criminal empire, in the same vein as
Scarface (1983), which Stone also scripted. </p>
When director
Antoine Fuqua was attached to the project, he pursued
Ray Liotta and
John C. Reilly for supporting roles. This was one of many budget-related concerns that lead to Universal's cancellation of this production while it was under Fuqua's management.</p>
When this project was canceled by Universal, actors
Denzel Washington and
Benicio Del Toro received their salaries nonetheless. A pay-or-play deal was stipulated in both of their contracts that Universal would pay Washington $20 million and Del Toro $5 million regardless of whether the film was made or not. When this project was green-lit a second time by Universal, Washington received another $20 million, ultimately pocketing $40 million on this motion picture.</p>
Denzel Washington spent time with Frank Lucas, his real-life alter ego in this film. As a sign of gratitude, Washington bought Lucas a Rolls-Royce after filming wrapped. </p>
