Ralph Fiennes said of this movie, "I think it's a badge of honor to have a real flop on your resumé."
This movie was not screened for critics because, as the Warner Brothers press office put it, "we wanted the public and the press to be able to discover the film together". Not screening a movie, especially one of such a significant budget, is usually a sign that the studio has no faith in it. This movie ultimately lost about $40 million.
Speaking at the 2006 AFI Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony, Eddie Izzard said that he took a role in this movie in order to meet Sir Sean Connery.