Bonnie and Clyde/Trivia


 * Incestuous Casting: Averted at the very last minute. See below.
 * Sleeper Hit: Warner Bros thought that the film would bomb, feeling that nobody would want to cheer for the outlaws in a gangster flick, and dumped it in August and offered Warren Beatty 40% of the gross as a result. Upon release, the mixed critical reception seemed to bear out their fears. But when young people started raving about it to everybody in earshot, it turned into one of the biggest films of 1967, and remains a classic.
 * What Could Have Been:
 * The writers of this film originally hoped to they could get either of the great French New Wave directors to helm this film, Francois Truffaut or Jean Luc Godard. Unfortunately, Truffaut ultimately decided to work on Fahrenheit 451 instead and Godard turned out to be an unreasonable jerk when the producers were courting him. So Arthur Penn, whom Truffaut had recommended, did it instead.
 * Shirley MacLaine was considered for Bonnie, but Warren Beatty decided to play Clyde and preferred not to have to kiss his sister on the mouth on-camera.
 * Jane Fonda turned down the role of Bonnie.
 * Warren Beatty once considered Bob Dylan for the role of Clyde.