30 facts about Se7en

If we're ever having an overly indulgent bout of self-pity, on a rainy Sunday night for example, then we like to pop Se7en on and be reminded that nothing in our lives could ever be as overwhelmingly depressing.

The brutal thriller still packs a punch 16 years on and we've put together a list of 30 facts you hopefully weren't aware of.

Screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker was primarily influenced by his unhappy time living in New York City, trying to make it in the industry.

Cinematographer Darius Khondji used US reality show Cops as his inspiration for his camerawork, with the camera peering over the shoulder in the backseat.

Executives were against the ending of the movie but Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman refused to promote the film if they changed it.

Brad Pitt's role was turned down by Denzel Washington who called the script "too dark and evil". Washington later starred in the similarly themed thriller The Bone Collector.

The F-word is used 74 times throughout the film.

The original ending saw Kevin Spacey killing Brad Pitt's character instead and then being shot by Morgan Freeman. The studio were keener on this.

Kevin Spacey's name was deliberately removed from the opening credits so that audiences would be surprised by the killer's identity.

During the filming, Brad Pitt broke his arm which led to the injury being written into the script.

In Fight Club, director David Fincher calls the three detectives Andrew, Kevin and Walker as a tribute to Se7en's screenwriter.

When the film was first shown on TV, the line where Brad Pitt refers to the killer as a "movie of the week" was changed to "book of the month".

The building that was used as a library where Morgan Freeman frequents has also been used in The Mask as the bank, while the cafe that he meets Gwyneth Paltrow in was also used in Gone In 60 Seconds.

Morgan Freeman's son has a small cameo as the fingerprint technician.

Christina Applegate turned down the lead female role while Robin Wright Penn auditioned but was rejected.

Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo Del Toro turned down the film as he sees himself as a romantic who doesn't subscribe to the film's dark vision of the world.

All of the killer's hand-written books were actually written for the film and took two months to complete.

Michael Stipe was considered for the role of the killer.

Brad Pitt turned down a role in Apollo 13 so he could do the film.

When asked about a potential sequel, David Fincher said "I would be less interested in that than I would in having cigarettes put out in my eyes," which probably means he won't be involved...

Before filming began, Kevin Spacey asked David Fincher if he should shave his head and he told him "If you do it, I'll do it" and so they were both bald for the rest of the film.

The delivery driver at the end of the film is played by Richmond Arquette, brother to Patricia, David and Rosanna.

All of the building numbers in the opening scene start with 7.

While writing the screenplay, Andrew Kevin Walker imagined William Hurt playing the Morgan Freeman role.

Al Pacino was considered for Freeman's role but took on City Hall instead.

If you watch closely, you can see that the sloth victim has three arms, one of which is prosthetic.

David Cronenberg turned down a chance to direct the film.

An alternate opening sees Morgan Freeman visiting a country house that he wants to buy as an escape from the unnamed city.

A rumoured sequel was to follow Morgan Freeman while Brad Pitt would have been in a mental hospital.

The only victim that the killer intentionally murders by his own hand is Gwyneth Paltrow.

The film is set in a fictitious city yet it was mostly filmed in California and Pennsylvania.

When the film was first shown on BBC1, the lust weapon was removed, making the death completely nonsensical.