Snakes on a Plane is not one of Samuel L. Jackson’s best movies. It is, however, one of his films that likely won’t be forgotten if only because of a single line. Samuel L. Jackson’s line about the “motherfucking snakes” was something the movie absolutely needed to have, but it almost didn’t, leading to what Jackson indicates must have been a pretty expensive swear word.
In an interview with GQ, Samuel L. Jackson said that he was interested in being on Snakes on a Plane as soon as he was aware of the project's existence. Jackson says he advocated for the movie to let him swear more, but the planned PG-13 rating limited the language Jackson was allowed to use. He explained…
They were trying to make a PG-13 movie and you could only have one ‘fuck’ or some shit like that in it. And I told them, like ‘Look, I gotta say motherfucker in this movie, it’s motherfucker snakes all over this plane.’ And they’re like ‘Ah Sam, we just, come on. [sigh] no.’ I said ‘Ok fine.’ We wrapped.
Samuel L. Jackson did have an impact on some aspects of the production. At one point the working title of Snakes on a Plane was changed to a more generic name. According to Jackson, this was done so as not to give away the movie. However, Jackson said the title Snakes on a Plane was why he’d wanted to make the film, and he got them to change it back.
That was an important decision because that title lit the internet on fire in 2006. The film got more pre-release buzz online than most films saw in those days, largely from fans who were just excited by the combination of a title that made the movie sound like a B-movie you'd watch at a drive-in and Samuel L. Jackson, whose swearing is famous. It seemed like a perfect match. Fans practically demanded an R-rating so Jackson could swear to his heart’s content.
Eventually, reshoots were ordered, and Snakes on a Plane was transformed from the PG-13 movie it was planned to be, into the R-rated movie we have today. Jackson points out that reshoots cost money so that F-bomb wasn’t cheap. He continued…
They test the movie, test the movie, and then all of a sudden it’s like you gotta do a reshoot.’ Cost them a bunch of money to get that motherfucker.
While reshoots aren’t uncommon in massive tentpole blockbusters, they would have added a more significant percentage of the budget for a much smaller project like Snakes on a Plane. Still, it was decided that it was worth it because of the buzz surrounding the film.
In the end, it unfortunately wasn't worth it. Snakes on a Plane was a box office disappointment. As we have learned countless times since internet buzz does not equal success, just ask Morbius. Still, the movie might always be remembered if only because of a great title and one iconic line.
