Production History (Air Force One) Air Force One

Marlowe wrote the script before the internet existed

Andrew W. Marlowe's screenplay began with a simple premise: the most symbolically loaded vehicle in the world, hijacked.

"What more compelling character than the President of the United States?" — Andrew W. Marlowe, Syfy Wire (2021)

Marlowe researched the real Air Force One without the benefit of modern tools:

"This was before the internet, before you could do searches. I remember freeze framing on that." — Andrew W. Marlowe, Syfy Wire (2021)

He called the Presidential Flight Office directly, but they would not comment on the aircraft's layout or capabilities. The title came naturally:

"Air Force One, the actual plane, is such an icon of the United States and it represents freedom." — Andrew W. Marlowe, Syfy Wire (2021)

Marlowe acknowledged the Die Hard influence openly while insisting on distinction:

"It was certainly one of the influences. I think that story pattern goes back thousands of years. I was absolutely cognizant of it, but I also wanted this to feel different enough from that movie." — Andrew W. Marlowe, Syfy Wire (2021)

The project initially developed around Kevin Costner before Harrison Ford took the lead, a fact Petersen discussed in his director's commentary on the Blu-ray. (wikipedia)

Sandell built a three-level 747 on gimbals at Sony Studios

Production designer William Sandell constructed a full-scale, three-level replica of the Air Force One interior on Stage 15 at the Sony Pictures lot. The set was built on giant gimbals with a hydraulic system that rocked individual sections to simulate turbulence — a practical effect that kept the actors' physical responses real.

Sandell's team worked from limited reference material:

"The 747 we built had three levels, all built to exact size. We worked from drawings, whatever official photos we were given and any published photos we could find in newspapers and magazines." — William Sandell, Film Scouts (1997)

The breakthrough came when Harrison Ford arranged a presidential tour of the real aircraft through Bill Clinton. Sandell described the access as transformative:

"We were granted a tour of Air Force One, a Godsend to the design process." — William Sandell, Film Scouts (1997)

Sandell designed each level with a distinct color palette tied to its dramatic function:

"Cold and austere blues and grays for the upper level, which is the nerve center of the plane, and warm grays and beiges for the middle level, where the business of the Presidency takes place." — William Sandell, Film Scouts (1997)

The cargo hold — the lower level where Marshall hides and fights — was designed as dark and claustrophobic, deliberately echoing the submarine corridors of Petersen's Das Boot.

Filming spanned Ohio, Los Angeles, and Moscow

The production used locations across multiple states and countries. General Radek's palace was filmed at Severance Hall and the Cuyahoga County Courthouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The Russian prison scenes used the Ohio State Reformatory. Ramstein Air Base was recreated at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Ohio. The diplomatic dinner was shot at the Ebell of Los Angeles. Airport sequences used Los Angeles International and Van Nuys airports. Red Square scenes were filmed on location in Moscow. (wikipedia)

A Boeing 747-146 (registration N703CK) from Kalitta Air was rented and repainted in Air Force One livery for exterior shots. F-15C Eagles from Eglin Air Force Base in Florida were used for the aerial fighter sequences. (wikipedia)

Boss Film Studios handled the visual effects in its final years

Richard Edlund's Boss Film Studios served as the primary visual effects house — one of the studio's last major projects before Edlund closed its doors. The team built a 22-foot-wingspan model of Air Force One, originally constructed for the film Turbulence and then rebuilt and refinished for this production. The model was shot on a nine-wire repeatable motion control rig in a Van Nuys Airport hangar, with Gary Waller as director of photography for the miniature work.

Edlund described an unusual compositing technique for the model shots:

"We wound up using a red screen and blacklight to extract the back." — Richard Edlund, befores & afters (2022)

The team sprayed talcum powder on the model between shots to eliminate reflective spill during the red-screen passes. Aerial background plates were captured using a Nettmann Cam-Remote snorkel system mounted on a Learjet with motion-controlled pan, tilt, and roll axes — all accomplished with less than 400 feet of film. (beforesandafters)

For the practical explosions, the team built approximately a dozen F-16 fighter models. The tanker explosion was shot at 270 frames per second using a 40-foot-wingspan model suspended between two 100-foot condors. (beforesandafters)

The CGI ocean crash was the one shot they could not finish

The film's finale — Air Force One crashing into the Caspian Sea — required a fully digital aircraft and ocean simulation. The CG model of the plane was accurate enough for closeup work, but the water interaction proved intractable within the production timeline. Edlund was candid about the limitation:

"We couldn't get it more than maybe 80% of where we wanted." — Richard Edlund, befores & afters (2022)

Time spent perfecting other composite shots — the aerial dogfights, the midair rescue — left fewer resources for the ocean sequence. The crash became the film's most criticized visual effect and remains its most dated element. Edlund noted that had production started even a few months later, they likely would have rendered all miniature sequences digitally. (beforesandafters)

Petersen rejected Randy Newman's score and Goldsmith composed a replacement in twelve days

Randy Newman was originally hired to score the film, leveraging his reputation for Americana. He recorded approximately an hour of material before Petersen rejected it as unsuitable for the genre — the compositions were described as closer to parody than to the muscular action scoring the director wanted.

Jerry Goldsmith was brought in as an emergency replacement with only twelve days to compose and record a full orchestral score. The task was too large for one composer in that timeframe, so Goldsmith enlisted Joel McNeely to write music for several sequences based on Goldsmith's prepared themes. McNeely handled substantial portions of the second act, including major aerial combat sequences. The Filmtracks review noted that McNeely's contributions were "outstanding" adaptations that went well beyond simple orchestration work. (filmtracks, wikipedia)

Goldsmith's score won a BMI Film Music Award. Newman later recycled portions of his rejected Air Force One material for Toy Story 3 (2010). (wikipedia)

Petersen used a remote-controlled camera to direct ensemble scenes

Petersen set up a remote-controlled camera that could rotate in place, enabling him to film all the actors in the Situation Room scenes without cutting. Glenn Close described his technique with affection:

"You knew the camera would pause on you by his hilarious direction while setting up the shot. He would point to us in turn and say, 'Acting...acting...NO acting...NO acting...ACTING...aaaacting!'" — Glenn Close, as quoted in Wikipedia (sourced from DVD commentary)

Ford and Oldman made real contact in the fight scenes

Ford instructed Oldman to actually hit him during their fight sequences, wanting the physical confrontation to read as real on screen. The dynamic between the two actors was one of genuine mutual intensity — Oldman could turn cold in an instant, earning the nickname "Scary Gary" on set, despite being genial and comedic between takes. Petersen captured the contrast by dubbing the entire production "Air Force Fun." (flipthemoviescript)