Alexander Trivias

Ptolemy I is depicted recounting the story of Alexander in 283 B.C. The Lighthouse at Alexandria, seen in the background, was built during the reign of his son Ptolemy II, around 270 B.C.

Oliver Stone and Val Kilmer originally discussed Alexander while filming The Doors (1991).

During the battle of Gaugamela, the command "Back and to the left! Back and to the left!" is shouted, which is the same as a famous line in an earlier Oliver Stone movie, JFK (1991).

In the battle at Gaugeamela, the Persian army are shown wearing dark clothes. In reality they were yellow and light purple.

Val Kilmer had to undergo over an hour of daily makeup to look older and don the scar tissue that covers the eye that Philip lost in battle.

Early posters and trailers did not credit Christopher Kyle as a writer; Oliver Stone and Laeta Kalogridis were credited for the story and Oliver Stone for the screenplay.

When Alexander rides towards the elephant of the Indian King, his sword is obviously waggling as though made of rubber.

Heath Ledger was originally considered for the role of Alexander before Colin Farrell was cast.

When speaking to his troops at the riverside in India, Alexander's sword switches from the left to his right side in one shot.

Alexander is commonly depicted in statues with eyes raised upwards towards the sun, and hence the many visual references of Alexander always looking towards the sun.

Just before the battle against the Indians in the jungle with the elephants, one of the leaders - the one with the missing left eye - is seen talking to his troops. There is a shot immediately after that has been flipped so that it appears that the right eye is missing.

Angelina Jolie plays Colin Farrell's mother even though she is less than a year older than he is.

The scar on Old Ptolemy's forehead switches sides halfway through his first scene.

The film almost never made it to the theatres in Greece. A group of Greek lawyers decided to try to ban the film on the grounds that Oliver Stone was denigrating the figure of Alexander the Great by making reference to his bisexuality. The film was ultimately given a theatrical release in Greece and premiered at #1.

After being wounded in the battle against the Indian king, Alexander is carried on a shield. First, his sword lies on his chest, then under his shoulder.

To accommodate Colin Farrell, most of the Macedonian characters speak with Irish accents.

When Alexander tries to ride the wild black horse the ropes are crossed. In the next shot they are correctly in place.

Was nominated for six Razzies, but did not "win" any.

In the "Director's Cut", Ptolemy implies that Alexander and Hephaistion died of typhus, which is transmitted by lice. He refers to what Hephaistion drank, so the cause is more likely to be typhoid. Historians believe typhoid may have killed Alexander because waters of Babylon were, and still are, notorious for it.

The final scenes of the film had originally been shot in Bangkok, but the dailies revealed that all the film they had used was damaged, forcing Stone to re-shoot the end of the film in Thailand.

The "mirror image" map that Ptolemy refers to shows Italy as being part of the Empire. This was never the case.

Some scenes from the film were supposed to be shot in India but the Indian elephants weren't well trained so they had to shoot it in Thailand instead.

Colin Farrell broke his ankle and arm during filming when he fell down a stairway.

Val Kilmer gained over 50 pounds and stopped working out for the plump role of Philip.

In December 2003, a group of homeless people in Stockholm, Sweden, started queuing for tickets to "Alexander", scheduled to premiere in November 2004. They intended to live in tents outside a movie theater in the city center for a year. This silent protest, intended to draw attention to the homeless in the Swedish capitol, was inspired by a local politician who said it is both legal and fully acceptable for fans to camp out for weeks in central Stockholm to get tickets to a movie premiere. At the time, the movie in question was The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003).

Oliver Stone previously tried to mount the project with Tom Cruise in the title role.

Sean Connery was originally considered for the role that was eventually offered to Val Kilmer.

The movie was originally scheduled for release on 5 November 2004 in the USA, but was moved to 24 November 2004. Studio executives stated that the move was to put it in a more competitive position for Oscar consideration.

The biography of Alexander by Oxford University professor Robin Lane Fox was an original inspiration and source of information for director Oliver Stone. As an historical advisor, Professor Fox didn't get an on screen credit; his price for giving his advice was to be allowed to take a place at the head of what is one of the largest cavalry charges ever filmed. Professor Fox was used to riding around the English countryside, but gladly dressed up as a Macedonean cavalry officer to live his dream of charging for Alexander.

Brad Pitt was considered for the role of Hephaestion, but turned down the role due to personal concerns with the character.