Trivia: In this movie, the hinges on the small phone box door, which is contained in the larger left hand door of the Tardis are located to the right, causing the door to open from the left. In the TV series (original and new) the same door opens from the right, with hinges on the left.
Trivia: This was director Michael Cimino's last feature-length film.
Trivia: Jenifer Lewis is just six years older than Whitney Houston, despite them playing mother and daughter.
Trivia: Gene Hackman plays Sam Cayhall, the father of Lee Cayhall Bowen (Faye Dunaway). In reality Hackman is only 11 years older than Dunaway.
Trivia: Early in production, the film was reportedly intended to be a theatrical release as the first film became a huge hit on VHS and on cable. However, when original co-stars Kevin Bacon and Reba McEntire were unable to commit for various reasons, the budget was lowered and it became a direct-to-video feature. While this was initially disappointing, it paid off in the long run, as it launched a continuing franchise with a further five sequels and a popular (but short-lived) TV series.
Trivia: Steven Seagal had some sort-of religious "breakthrough" before filming began and decided he didn't want to kill any villains in the movie. This caused some friction on the first day, when he was set to film a scene where he killed Stephen Tobolowsky. Tobolowsky, knowing how spiritual Seagal was, ended up convincing Seagal that killing his character was the right thing to do, as it would allow his character to be redeemed and reborn in a new body through reincarnation. The scene was filmed as it was scripted. Later, however, Tobolowsky got a call from the director, who informed him that Seagal kept improvising lines implying that Tobolowsky survived. Tobolowsky ended up having to come back out and record some wonky dialog of his character screaming "Finish me off!" to imply he survived and appease Seagal. In the end, the lines weren't used and Seagal's improvisations were simply cut out, so Tobolowsky is killed off as was originally planned.
Trivia: Originally, Alan Silvestri was hired to write the score, but it was eventually decided that his musical style clashed with the tone of the film, and he was replaced by Danny Elfman.
Trivia: Billy Zane was a fan of the character and took the film very seriously. He spent a year working out and doing weight training to build muscle mass, so he wouldn't have to wear a fake muscle suit. He'd also leave set in full costume and drive around, get lunch, etc.
Trivia: Kurt Russell kept the outfit he wore in Escape from New York. The very first day of shooting Escape from L.A., he stepped out of his trailer in that very same outfit for shooting. He and producer Debra Hill looked at each other and began laughing. Debra Hill said it was like going into a time machine.
Trivia: Debbie Reynolds and Albert Brooks play mother and son in this film. In real life, Reynolds (born 1932) was only fifteen years older than Brooks (born 1947).
Trivia: Anthony Zerbe, who plays the role of Tom's father, Roger Aiken, is only eleven years older than Stephen Collins.
Trivia: This film marked the directorial debut of Jean-Claude Van Damme.