stated Tod Browning would direct. Due to Worsley's prior commitments directing two other pictures for Paramount being extended due to the hurried replacement of their fatally ill star, Wallace Reid, with Jack Holt, the start date on Hunchback was pushed back nearly a month in order to accommodate Worsley; in the event, the second of the two films with Holt that Worsey was to direct was eventually helmed by Joseph Henabery, in his stead. Universal announced its intentions to recreate the Notre Dame cathedral and the surrounding streets to the exacting specifications of the period. Universal staff set about creating the "Gallery of Kings", thirty five statues, each ten feet high with intended likeness of the originals. The construction of the sets was estimated to take six months to complete. The screenplay was completed by Edward T. Lowe, Jr. and Perley Poore Sheehan by the end of 1922. In the beginning of January, it was announced that film production began with the "Court of Miracles" setting. Shooting the Parisian underworld scene required a cast of some several hundred extras. The construction of the Notre Dame set and the street settings had not yet been completed. In the beginning of February filming had moved to the Madame de Gondelaurier scenes. The production reportedly required three thousand costumes for extras, requiring six weeks for Universal costume department to complete. In March, Film Daily reported Worsley had traded in his megaphone for a radio and loudspeaker to direct the large crowd of extras for the scenes. Radio Digest stated that it was a $7,000 radio and loudspeaker set up, . Film Daily reported on June 8 that the filming of the camera shots had been completed and that Universal had signed a contract to lease the Astor Theater for showing the film on September 2. At the beginning of 1923, Universal's accounts believed that the cost of the production would be between $750,000 and $1,000,000. The film wound up costing $1,250,000 to produce and was in production from December 16, 1922 until June 8, 1923. It was the most expensive Lon Chaney film ever made. He was paid $2,500.00 per week salary. Reception The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 91% of critics have given the film a positive review based on , with a weighted average rating of 8.08/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "A heart-rending take on the classic book,