Outbreak (1995)

Director: Wolfgang Petersen

A deadly airborne virus finds its way into the USA and starts killing off people at an epidemic rate. Colonel Sam Daniels' job is to stop the virus spreading from a small town, which must be quarantined, and to prevent an over reaction by the White House.

Male Deaths[]

Daniel Chodos [Rudy Alvarez]
Patrick Dempsey [James "Jimbo" Scott]
Leland Hayward III [Henry Seward]
Kevin Spacey [Casey Schuler]

Female Deaths[]

Michelle Joyner [Sherry Mauldin]
Kellie Overbey [Alice]
Ina Romeo [Mrs. Logan]

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

The film was inspired by real-life events covered in the book "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston, Jr.
When investigating the village in Zaire, several huts are burned down. This is the traditional tribal method for controlling the spread of an infection in many parts of the world. Food and water are left outside the entrance to the dwelling, and the occupants cannot leave. If several days (usually three or four) of these supplies are not used, then the dwelling is burned down to stop the infection from spreading.
The capuchin Monkey who portrayed Betsy the white-haired monkey in the film is Binx.
The film's popularity resurged during the COVID-19 pandemic, ranking as the fourth most streamed film on Netflix in the United States on March 13, 2020.
The character of Sam Daniels (Dustin Hoffman) was originally intended for Harrison Ford. Coincidentally, Harrison Ford's character in "Blade Runner (1982)" was written with Dustin Hoffman in mind. Ford worked with director Wolfgang Petersen on "Air Force One (1997)."
Donald Sutherland took over from Joe Don Baker because director Wolfgang Petersen and producer Arnold Kopelson wanted the character to have more of an "Oliver Northquality" and decided Sutherland could deliver that. Sutherland was not available for filming when production began, but later joined the set, and was able to complete all of his scenes without any delays.
This film won a development battle with a similar viral-outbreak thriller project at Twentieth Century Fox called "Hot Zone". That film was going to be directed by Ridley Scott and star Robert Redford and Jodie Foster, but ran into script problems that threw it off stride. When Arnold Kopelson hired Ted Tally to work on his script, he liked the results so much, that he immediately sent it out to Harrison Ford; Ford declined, but then Dustin Hoffman and Wolfgang Petersen signed on to star and direct, and Warner Brothers greenlit the film for a 1995 release.
Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone were offered the leading role of Colonel Sam Daniels, but they all turned it down and that's when Dustin Hoffman got the part. The script was slightly re-written to suit his character. Director Wolfgang Petersen was very happy about these changes in casting and concept, because he felt that his film would gain a lot of suspense if a dramatic actor like Hoffman, who never played an 'action hero' in a blockbuster entertainment before, would be tasked with saving the world.
The capuchin monkeys are New World Monkeys, they are not from Africa, but from Central and South America.
The film features four Oscar winners; Dustin Hoffman, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, and Cuba Gooding Jr.
When Jodie Foster dropped out of the film, Meryl Streep, Sharon Stone and Robin Wright were all rumored as possible replacements. Eventually Rene Russo was chosen as the main female lead.
Danny Glover was considered to play Brigadier General Billy Ford, which ultimately went to Morgan Freeman.
Director Wolfgang Petersen and Rene Russo previously worked together on In the Line of Fire.
Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey both appeared in Se7en the same year (1995).