Brass described Vidal's screenplay as 'the work of an aging arteriosclerotic' and agreed to direct only if he was allowed to rewrite Vidal's screenplay. Brass had a reputation for being difficult to deal with on film sets but Guccione thought the film's epic scope would 'keep in line' and that Brass understood the concept of the film enough to direct it. After viewing scenes from the film Salon Kitty, Guccione agreed to have lunch with that film's director Tinto Brass, believing Brass would be the ideal person to direct Caligula. Guccione offered directing duties to John Huston and Lina Wertmüller, both of whom rejected the film. Several mainstream actors were cast, Guccione intending to make a film which he felt, like Citizen Kane, would be a landmark in cinematic history. Įlaborate sets were built by production designer Danilo Donati, who also designed the film's costumes, jewelry, hair styles, wigs and makeup. Vidal was paid US$200,000 for his screenplay, which was titled Gore Vidal's Caligula. Guccione was concerned that Vidal's script contained several homosexual sex scenes and only one scene of heterosexual sex, which was between Caligula and his sister Drusilla. Vidal's screenplay had a strong focus on homosexuality, leading Guccione to demand rewrites which toned down the homosexual content for wider audience appeal. A screenplay was written by Lina Wertmüller, but Guccione rejected Wertmüller's script and paid Gore Vidal to write a new screenplay. Development began under producer Franco Rossellini, the nephew of filmmaker Roberto Rossellini. The magazine's founder Bob Guccione wanted to produce an explicit adult film within a feature film narrative that had high production values he decided to produce a film about the rise and fall of the Roman emperor Caligula.
The men's magazine Penthouse had long been involved in film funding, helping invest in films made by other studios, including Chinatown, The Longest Yard and The Day of the Locust, but it had never produced a film on its own.
Caligula enters his bedroom where a nervous Caesonia awaits him.
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