Random Movie Trivia - The Shawshank Redemption

Here is the next edition in our new weekly post, Random Movie Trivia.  Enjoy:

The Shawshank Redemption

• If you didn't know, this movie was based on a Stephen King novella.  What is a novella?  I'm glad you asked.  A novella is considered longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel.  Did that clear everything up?  Probably not.  Also, King sold the movie rights for only one dollar.
• In Stephen King's original story, the part of Red was written as a white Irish guy and when they cast Morgan Freeman for the part, they left in the line "Maybe it's 'cause I'm Irish" as an inside joke.
• The mugshots of a young Morgan Freeman are actually just photos of his son, Alfonso.
• Because the film didn't gain popularity until after it was released for rental, the rights were inexpensive and sold to Ted Turner and due to its low cost, that is why they show it quite frequently on TNT.
• During casting, one agent who didn't actually read the script (originally named Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption) asked if his supermodel client could audition for the part of Rita Hayworth.  Of course, there is no part for the legendary actress, just a poster of her on Andy Dufrense's cell wall.
• Tom Hanks was the original choice for the part of Andy Dufrense, but had to turn it down because he was filming Forrest Gump.  Kevin Costner also turned down the role because he was working on Waterworld, but later regretted it after seeing the movie.  Also, considered for the role were Nicolas Cage, Johnny Depp, and Charlie Sheen.  Personally, I couldn't imagine anyone but Tim Robbins in this part.
• As for the part of Red, Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman, and Robert Redford were all considered, but the director always had Morgan Freeman in mind for the role because of his authoritative voice and cool demeanor.
• Director Frank Darabont did not include any of the deleted scenes in the DVD because he was embarrassed by them and didn't want them to be seen publicly.
• Rob Reiner loved this script so much that he offered Frank Darabont $2.5 million for it, but obviously was turned down.  Reiner was going to cast Harrison Ford and Tom Cruise as the title characters.
• Even though this movie is considered one of the greatest of all-time, it was deemed a flop at the box office because it only recouped its production costs of $18 million (and an additional $10 million when it got some Oscar consideration).
• Although it was never directly said, Red's character was in prison because he murdered his wife and daughter after a losing streak at poker.
• The movie was released in Taiwan under the name "1995: Fantastic" and many viewers thought they were going to see an action movie.  I like to think they saw something much much better.

"Ha, he's covered in poop."