The filming of the film lasted 28 days, the same length of time as the story.
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Elizabeth) initially turned down the role in the film, but director Richard Kelly eventually convinced her.
On Professor Monnitoff's (Noah Wyle) desk you can see astrophysicist Stephen Hawking's book "A Brief History of Time," which was published the same year as the film. The book explains that time travel is feasible.
Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko) and Maggie Gyllenhaal (Elizabeth Darko) are also siblings in real life.
The film was Seth Rogen's acting debut.
In 2006, British magazine Empire ranked the film second on its list of the 50 best independent films of all time.
Jason Schwartzman was considered for the role of Donnie, but dropped out due to a scheduling conflict. The role ultimately went to Jake Gyllenhaal.
At the end of the film, Donnie's mother (Mary McDonnell) boards flight number 2806, at gate 42, and departs at 12 noon. It's a reference to the countdown that Frank (James Duval) gave Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal): 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds.
In the cinema where Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) goes with Gretchen (Jena Malone), Martin Scorsese's "The Last Temptation of Christ" (1988) is showing.
Rose Darko (Mary McDonnell) reads the book "It" by Stephen King. In the book, the children of a small town are terrorized by a clown. At the end of the film, the co-pilot of Frank's car (James Duval) is dressed in a clown costume.
It was originally thought that actor Tim Robbins would play the role of Donnie's father.
Director Richard Kelly also considered Vince Vaughn and Mark Wahlberg to play Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal).
Director Richard Kelly admitted that the film had major problems with distribution because distribution companies did not know how to attract potential viewers.
Due to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (a month and a half before the film's release), the promotional materials were eliminated, since the posters showed a plane falling, which caused the film to fail in the cinemas due to lack of advertising. The film conquered viewers only during its DVD release, when it became a hit and a cult film.
During a visit to the psychiatrist, Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) mentions actress Christina Applegate, best known for the comedy series "Married with Children" (1987).
Actress Neve Campbell auditioned for the role of Gretchen (Jena Malone).
Frank (James Duval) tells Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) that the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds, which adds up to 88. When Samantha (Daveigh Chase) asks Donnie, when can he have children, he answers that only from the eighth grade. Donnie tells his psychiatrist that his dog died when he was 8 years old. According to the TV announcer, Jim Cunningham's (Patrick Swayze) house went dark shortly after eight o'clock. The climax of the film takes place a week before the 1988 presidential election. George Bush was elected on November 8, 1988.
United States