User:LaraGiux/sandbox

Production
Paramount Pictures' abandonment of The Last Tempation of Christ production was a huge disappointment to Scorsese. It spurred him to focus on independent companies and smaller projects. The opportunity was offered to him by his lawyer Jay Julien, who put him through Griffin Dune and Amy Robinson's independent group: "Double Play Company". The project was called "A Night in Soho" and it was based on the script by Joseph Minion. The screenplay, originally titled "Lies" after the 1982 Joe Frank monologue that inspired the story, was written as part of an assignment for his film course at Columbia University. He was 26 years old at the time the film was produced. The script finally became "After Hours" after Scorsese made his final amendments.

One of Scorsese's inputs involves the dialogue between Paul and the doorman at Club Berlin, inspired by Kafka's Before the Law, one of the short stories included in his novel The Trial. As Scorsese explained to Paul Attanasio, the short story reflected his fustration towards the production of The Last Temptation of Christ, for which he had to continiously wait, as Joseph K had to in The Trial.

The film was originally to be directed by Tim Burton, but Scorsese read the script at a time when he was unable to get financial backing to complete The Last Temptation of Christ, and Burton gladly stepped aside when Scorsese expressed interest in directing.

After Hours was the first fictional film in ten years in which Robert De Niro was not part of the cast.

British director Michael Powell took part in the production process of the film (Powell and editor Thelma Schoonmaker married soon afterwards). Nobody was sure how the film should end. Powell said that Paul must finish up back at work, but this was initially dismissed as too unlikely and difficult. They tried many other endings, and a few were even filmed, but the only one that everyone felt really worked was to have Paul finish up back at work just as the new day was starting.