Jake
Paramount’s attempt to make an epic disaster movie ended up becoming an epic disaster in its own right.Hard Rainwent from potentially boasting John Woo as its director to losing an estimated $50 million and being relegated to the straight-to-video market in several countries. How could this happen? Did it have something to do with a massively reshot ending that angered star Morgan Freeman so much that he later told people not to see the movie? Or perhaps it was the legal troubles of the film’s other star, Christian Slater, who was sentenced to jail just asHard Rainwas being released in theaters following a violent, drug-fueled incident. Here’s the story of what happened toHard Rainnearly 30 years ago.
Hard Rain Was Originally Conceived as a Sequel to Speed
Developed under the original titleThe Flood, the waterlogged project began as a joint production involving roughly 10 international production companies in a distribution deal packaged by the Mutual Film Company, including Paramount Pictures, the BBC, and others in the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, and Japan. Talk about oversaturated from the get-go. The idea took off whenBroken Arrowscreenwriter Graham Yost penned the screenplay for the aquatic heist thriller and pitched it to 20th Century Fox with producer Mark Gordon as a potential sequel to the 1994 action hitSpeed, which Yost also wrote.
Once Fox balked at the pitch for aSpeedsequel, Paramount opted to turn the script into an original story. As a result, Christian Slater and Minnie Driver were cast as the male and female leads, Tom and Karen, rather than bringing back Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock to reprise their respective roles fromSpeed. In addition to reuniting Slater and Yost fromBroken Arrow, Slater was the first actor approached and became so heavily involved with the project that he also served as co-producer, the first time he’d ever done so in his career. With that much responsibility, Slater had a lot riding on the line and needed his efforts to be successful.
John Woo Almost Directed Hard Rain
As development deepened, the incomparable king of Hong Kong action cinema, John Woo, was the first director attached to makeHard Rain. However, Woo opted to makeFace/Offinstead once its production schedule opened up, offering him a much bolder and more outlandish premise that accommodated his stylish directorial skill set.
Once Woo passed on the project, Mikael Salomon, the cinematographer onFar and Away,Backdraft, andArachnophobia, was hired to direct. Salomon was also known for his stunningly immersive underwater cinematography for James Cameron’sThe Abyss. As great asFace/Offremains, it’s hard not to wonder how much better or differentHard Rain would have been if Woo had remained on board the high-concept thriller, which required a massive logistical undertaking, including incredibly detailed indoor and outdoor sets and millions of gallons of water.
Once Slater agreed to headline, the rest of the casting process was rounded out. Morgan Freeman was hired to play the money-hungry bandit Jim, Randy Quaid was recruited to portray shady Sheriff Mike Collig, Ed Asner came aboard as Tom’s uncle and armored-car driver Charlie, and Betty White, Asner’s co-star onThe Mary Tyler Moore Show(though they don’t share any scenes here), was cast as the stubborn neighbor Doreen. With the actors locked in and a shooting schedule established, the cameras were ready to roll.
The $70 Million Production Required an Enormous Water Tank
Principal photography began on August 26, 1996, and wrapped on January 9, 1997. Thanks to the joint international production, the picture was allotted a hefty $70 million budget, equivalent to roughly $150 million today after adjusting for inflation.
To light and lens the picture, Salomon tapped Peter Menzies Jr., the director of photography onWhite Sands,Die Hard with a Vengeance, andA Time to Kill, as the cinematographer. Meanwhile,The GooniesandLethal Weaponproduction designer J. Michael Riva was brought in, along withTwisterset decorator Ronald Reiss, to bring the terminally sodden town of Huntingburg to life.
In addition to filming on location and building exterior sets in Huntingburg, Indiana, where the story takes place, an elaborate and extremely pricey $6 million set was erected in an aircraft hangar in Palmdale, California, where an enormous water tank and rain machines were used to simulate the punishing storm and resulting flood. Although additional exterior shots were filmed in Toronto, Canada,95% of the movie was shot inside a water tank, according to Salomon.
The multimillion-dollar set also included what was then reportedly the largest matte-painted backdrop in cinematic history. The background was situated inside the enormous hangar, outfitted with several lights, with fabric cut out of the painting to make it appear as though the lights were shining in the distance. The matte work mostly appears during the flooding nighttime scenes and riveting boat chases as the town is relentlessly inundated with four feet of rising water.
Aside from exterior establishing shots of Huntingburg being filmed in Indiana, a massive replica of downtown Fourth Street was constructed in the aircraft hangar in Palmdale, where U.S. B-1 Lancer bombers were previously manufactured.
The fabricated set was three-quarters the scale of the original town and consisted of 50 wooden buildings immersed in a gigantic water tank that spanned roughly 600 feet long, 300 feet wide, and four to five feet deep. Not only was the large, sturdy tank filled with five million gallons of water, but to simulate constant rainfall and create the relentless deluge, an overhead crane was rigged with rainbars and advanced spray systems to pour an astounding 30,000 gallons onto the set per minute.
Among the primary locations seen onscreen that were filmed on sets inside the giant water tank soundstage were Doreen’s house, which the cops visit at the beginning; the graveyard where Jim and his gang hide the stolen cash; Huntingburg Middle School, where Jim is chased after breaking out of his jail cell and where the jet ski scene takes place; and Karen’s house, seen toward the end. Although the exterior of the church where Tom hides was real, the surrounding buildings were constructed specifically for the film.
Speaking of the spectacular jet ski chase, it was filmed for real, without any CGI, inside the halls of the fake school built in the gigantic tank. Slater nearly destroyed the expensive set and props after knocking over lockers and other objects as he learned to steer and control the watercraft and perform the choreography just right for the scene.
How the Filmmakers Created the Massive Flood
One of the most difficult logistical challenges during production was creating the dam, levee, and spillway, which do not exist in the real Huntingburg. To do so, two miniature models of the dam were built at one-eighth scale and one-quarter scale.
According to a member of the visual effects team, three gigantic metal barrels were welded together, filled with water, and tipped over to simulate the flooded town and destroy the miniature models.
When Salomon expressed concern about the dam’s size and the audience’s ability to see its entire scale, CGI water and rotoscoping were added to augment the effect, making the flood appear more ominous and threatening while ensuring smooth, seamless transitions between camera moves.
Another means of making the water level appear to rise throughout the story was to lift the set buildings on a crane, remove their bottom portions, and place them back in the water between shots.
All told, it took meticulous planning and a clever, nearly invisible combination of authentic water, CGI embellishment, digital effects, and practical filmmaking to create the deadly flooded atmosphere that swallows the town whole.
Minnie Driver Revealed Her Unpleasant Experience Making Hard Rain
Of course, another major logistical nightmare for the cast and crew was having to film under constantly soaked conditions. Although the water was slightly heated to keep the actors comfortable while filming, the temperature could only be raised enough to avoid causing steam, which would have blurred the action onscreen and caused serious production problems.
As Slater famously quipped while promoting the picture:
“I went through six months facing the eye of the storm. We had 30,000 gallons of cold freezing water coming down on our heads every day.”
The telling quote directly dispels a long-held viral myth that Slater had a clause in his contract stipulating that his body temperature could not drop by even 0.1 degree during filming, an outrageous demand that would have been nearly impossible to accommodate.
On a much darker and more unfortunate note, due to filming in continuously wet conditions, Minnie Driver toldEmpire magazine in 1997 that she loathed her experience making the movie.
Almost 30 years later, in 2024, Driver expanded on her miserable experience, telling theI Weighpodcast that she was denied permission by the producers to wear a wetsuit beneath her clothing during filming, even though other actors had worn them. According to Driver, the reason was to ensure that her body remained visible beneath her wet T-shirt.
In Driver’s own words:
“It’s set during this massive storm; there were huge rain machines. We shot crazy hours. It was tough. Everybody else could wear a wetsuit underneath their costume, and I was told by the producers that I couldn’t because they wanted to see my nipples, and that there was no point in having the wet t-shirt if you couldn’t have what was underneath it.”
When she pushed back on the request, which was likely meant to appeal to the young male demographic the movie was targeting, Driver was made to feel like “an idiot” who didn’t understand how movies were made, even though she had already logged over 20 credits, including her eventual Oscar-nominated turn inGood Will Hunting.
Her complaints were reportedly leaked to the press and deemed unwarranted, painting her as a difficult actor to work with. Driver was made to feel that she was at fault for raising her concerns in the first place, and the backlash effectively silenced her at the time. It would be 27 years before she spoke publicly about the experience in greater detail.
Following Driver’s public admission, costume designer Kathleen Detoro claimed she did not recall the event, stating that she ordered Body Glove wetsuits for all the principal actors and that it was up to them to wear whatever parts they wanted. A spokesperson for Morgan Freeman also claimed the actor had no recollection of the incident occurring.
Morgan Freeman Was Furious About Hard Rain‘s Reshot Ending
Once principal photography wrapped in early 1997, the plan was to releaseHard Raintheatrically on May 2 of the same year, with Paramount mandating a March 31 deadline for the finished product to be delivered.
However, it was clear the final cut would not be ready in time when the producers became unhappy with the ending after a poor test screening. Reshoots were ordered and approved to address the problem and alter the conclusion.
In the original version, Jim is killed during the climactic confrontation with Tom, Sheriff Collig, and the Indiana State Troopers. Believe it or not, the test audience was actually upset that Jim died at the end, despite being a villainous thief with little redeeming value.
As a result, the cast and crew were brought back to film extensive reshoots to ensure Jim survived and escaped with a chunk of the loot, which increased the overall production costs and delayed the release schedule considerably.
Although his character ended up with more screen time and a more favorable fate, Morgan Freeman was downright incensed that the studios would allow a test audience to determine the story’s outcome.
Speaking withThe Guardianin 2000 in front of a packed house at London’s National Film Theatre, Freeman complained:
“I played a bad guy, and they showed it to an audience – and we’re letting an audience tell us what to do now – y’know, and the audience said, ‘Well, I don’t want him – Morgan can’t die!’ And I was a thief. ‘He should get some money’. We went back into the studio and re-shot it so that I didn’t die and I did get some money. Did any of you see this movie? Don’t. Just don’t.”
When one of the movie’s most distinguished actors doesn’t even think it’s worth seeing and urges audiences to avoid it, it’s no real shock thatHard Raindrowned at the box office.
Why The Flood Was Renamed Hard Rain
Following the reshot ending that changed the entire dynamic, the release date was pushed back from May 1997 to January 1998.
However, due to a wave of popular disaster films released around the same time, such asTwister,Volcano,Dante’s Peak,Daylight, and others saturating the market, the producers did not want audiences to believe the movie was a copycat, standard natural disaster flick. Instead, they wanted to emphasize that it was a unique robbery thriller that used a relentless rainstorm as an integral backdrop.
Although this miscalculation was a primary reason the title was changed fromThe FloodtoHard Rainat the last minute, it’s also worth noting that the alteration was reportedly influenced by a deadly real-life flood that struck Indiana in March 1997, killing 19 people and leaving widespread destruction.
Out of respect for the deceased and those affected by the fatal flooding,Hard Rainwas deemed a more appropriate title, despite trailers already promoting the picture asThe Flood.
But between the confusion about the title and the audience’s lack of awareness of exactly what to expect, the film suffered a slow, painful commercial death.
Hard Rain Became a Massive Box Office Flop
Indeed, the new ending and generic action movie title didn’t make much of a positive difference.
Upon its U.S. release on January 16, 1998,Hard Rainultimately sank at the box office, earning an abysmal $19 million domestically against a $70 million budget.
Although the plan was to roll the movie out globally throughout the spring and summer, the dismal box-office performance in North America resulted in a straight-to-video release in several countries and smaller markets.
All told,Hard Rainwas such a commercial disappointment that its backers were left facing an estimated $50 million shortfall.
In addition to its catastrophic commercial failure, the movie was also a critical flop, earning a raft of negative reviews that amount to a paltry 36 Metascore and a 34% Rotten Tomatoes score.
AlthoughTotal Filmdubbed it the “biggest flop of 1998,” the publication admittedHard Raindeserved a more positive reception, in part for its fun, exhilarating set pieces.
Indeed, despite the sheer absurdity of the premise and its uneven execution, there’s no denying how viscerally entertaining the action sequences are, and how impressive the sets and special effects remain almost 30 years later. Just as it’s no surprise the movie tanked, it’s understandable why it’s become a minor cult favorite over the years.
Christian Slater’s Legal Troubles Complicated the Release
However, adding insult to injury, Christian Slater’s looming legal troubles swirled over post-production like a black cloud.
Rather than drawing attention to the movie’s impending release and promoting its unabashed B-movie appeal, Slater received an enormous amount of unwanted press detailing his August 1997 arrest for assault, battery, and drug offenses.
The incident occurred during a Hollywood party in a high-rise condo on Wilshire Boulevard, when Slater got into a drug- and alcohol-fueled altercation with several individuals, including his then-girlfriend Michelle Jonas, whom he repeatedly struck in the face.
Slater’s intoxicated rampage continued as he bit a man in the chest on the street and kicked a hotel janitor in the stomach. When the police were called, they arrived to find Slater screaming hysterically in the hotel hallway, prompting the actor to kick an officer down the stairs after they tried to make an arrest.
Following the incident, the soon-to-be 28-year-old Slater pleaded no contest to battery and drug charges, resulting in a 90-day jail sentence.
Although the sentence might seem relatively light given the severity of the offenses, Slater was ordered to begin serving his jail time on January 14, 1998, just two days beforeHard Rainwas slated to premiere in Hollywood and open wide in the U.S.
While they say there’s no such thing as bad publicity, Slater’s legal troubles could hardly have helped the film’s chances for a successful box-office run.
During his press appearances leading up to the release, Slater was inundated with awkward questions about his impending prison time and was unable to promote the picture as he otherwise could have without the legal distractions getting in the way.
Worse yet, as his first producer credit, Slater’s professional reputation took another hit withHard Rain‘s catastrophic commercial failure.
In the end, Slater served 57 days in prison before he was released for good behavior and allowed to enroll in a drug rehabilitation program.
Thanks to his talents, Slater eventually rebounded and has enjoyed a second, third, and even fourth act in Hollywood when several other troubled actors rarely get another chance.
How Hard Rain Became a Forgotten ’90s Action Movie
As unfortunate as it is to include the sensational tabloid drama, it’s an inseparable part of the story of what happened toHard Rainnearly three decades ago.
Director Mikael Salomon was hired after John Woo bowed out, using his keen underwater photography skills fromThe Abyssto bring the submerged town of Huntingburg, Indiana, to life. Christian Slater was the first actor to board the project and earned his first producing credit after reuniting withBroken Arrowscreenwriter Graham Yost.
Upon reflection, Yost admitted in 2014 that the movie was originally designed to function as a modern-day Western. However, due to escalating production costs, it became so expensive that it lost focus and turned into something else along the way. Even so, Yost praised Salomon for doing a great job under the difficult circumstances.
Beyond filming in Huntingburg and building a replica of downtown, the vast majority of the movie was shot inside a gigantic water tank in a California hangar. The apparatus stretched two football fields long and one football field wide and required five million gallons of water to flood the tank up to four or five feet.
Simulated rain, CGI, and rotoscoping were used to create the constant downpour and subsequent flooding. Beyond Slater’s legal troubles hovering over the post-production and pre-release phases, the movie’s original title,The Flood, was changed to avoid confusion about it being a disaster epic rather than an action thriller.
Despite all the efforts,Hard Rainended up becoming one of the most notorious box-office disappointments of the late 1990s, leaving Paramount and its international production partners with an enormous financial setback.
Yet, for all its behind-the-scenes troubles, there’s still something to admire about the sheer ambition ofHard Rain. In an era before CGI became the default solution for nearly every impossible action sequence, the filmmakers went to extraordinary lengths to create a genuinely flooded town. The result may not have been the blockbuster everyone hoped for, but it’s a fascinating example of the kind of big-budget, practical-effects spectacle Hollywood rarely attempts anymore.
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