Production Notes
Drop Zone was one of two skydiving action movies released in 1994; the other was Terminal Velocity. The original idea came from two professional skydivers, Tony Griffin and Guy Manos. One of the film's screenwriters, Peter Barsocchini, would later write High School Musical. Steven Seagal was originally intended to star (for a rumored $15 million).
The film bears some resemblance to the 1994 action movie Freefall, which is about a skydiving spy who uncovers a plot to expose the identities of undercover Interpol agents. The insurance policies of Wesley Snipes and most of the cast precluded them from skydiving. However, that really is Michael Jeter doing the tandem jump.
The fact that the two main characters — Nessip (who is black) and Crossman (who is white) — are not linked romantically is contrary to Hollywood plot conventions. This might hint at the reluctance of the producers to stage an interracial romance, but the part of Crossman was originally written for a man.
The Paramount Parks (now owned by Cedar Fair) featured drop tower amusement rides called Drop Zone: Stunt Tower, which were based on the movie. The attractions are now named Drop Tower: Scream Zone.
The musical sting that plays when Swoop races to help the stricken skydiver has been frequently used in movie trailers, most notably The Mask of Zorro and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (incidentally, a track from this film bears a strong resemblance with the one for Drop Zone). It is a thirty second excerpt from "Too Many Notes-Not Enough Rest" and "After the Dub" by Hans Zimmer, available on the soundtrack album.
The green C-47 used in the skydiving scenes is currently on display at the Valiant Air Command air museum in Titusville, Florida.
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