George Lucas Didn't Want to Cast Harrison Ford as INDIANA JONES at First and Explains Why

It’s funny when you hear old news about the making of certain movies and film franchises that went on to become humongous blockbusters, but were almost very different because of casting choices or other last minute decisions that could have sent the film down a different path. One of those franchises is that of Indiana Jones, which fans love all these years later, but could they have loved it as much with a different star?

Harrison Ford is arguably the best part of the film, bringing his imperfect relatability to the role along with a huge part charm, he embodies the archeological professor turned adventurer to a T. But after working with Ford on Star Wars, Indiana Jones writer George Lucas wasn’t sure that casting the same star in his next movie was the smartest move.

As he explained in Empire’s oral history of the making of Raiders of the Lost Ark, he didn’t want himself and Ford to become known as a pair like actor Robert DeNiro and director Martin Scorsese.  

“I was wary of Harrison and I becoming like Scorsese and De Niro. I thought, ‘Let’s create a new icon.’”

So they ended up casting another popular actor at the time, Tom Selleck. “We found Tom Selleck, but as soon as the network heard, his option on Magnum P.I. got picked up,” Lucas shared. 

Selleck talked about missing out on the role in a 2020 interview with Rachael Ray:

“I didn’t turn it down! I earned the part. I did a screen test. And Steven Spielberg and George Lucas said, ‘You’ve got the part.’ And I said, ‘Well, I’ve done this pilot. I don’t know whether it’s a conflict. … It was Magnum. CBS basically said, ‘No, you can’t do both… But Harrison kind of did a good job.”    

With Selleck no longer available, Lucas and Spielberg had to scramble to find their Indiana Jones. Ford’s name came up again. This time, they decided to reach out, though Lucas said he wasn’t confident the Return of the Jedi actor would be willing to sign on for three films. Lucas recalled:

“We were running short of time and Steven said, ‘There’s always Harrison.’ I doubted he’d go for a three-picture deal — he didn’t want to on Star Wars. And we had three pictures. Steven said to try anyway. I went to Harrison and he read the script and said, ‘Yeah, I’ll do a three-picture deal. I’d love to.’”

And the rest is history! I actually think that Tom Selleck would have been fantastic in the role of Indiana Jones, but of course, Harrison ford is our Indy, and it all worked out for the best.

via: CheatSheet