The Original Script for the Film THE FUGITIVE Saw Tommy Lee Jones' U.S. Marshal Character as the Bad Guy
The Fugitive first came across people’s screens with the 1963 TV series, starring David Janssen as Richard Kimble, a well-respected doctor who has been arrested for the murder of his wife, although he didn’t commit the crime. Dr. Kimble escapes custody and goes on the lam, in search of the real killer, hoping to avenge his wife and prove his innocence. All he knew was that the killer had one arm. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Philip Gerard (Barry Morse), was tasked with catching the alleged criminal doctor, and bring him back to be charged. It’s a solid story that went on to become a huge blockbuster hit film in 1993, starring Harrison Ford as the titlular Doctor Kimble, and Tommy Lee Jones as the renamed Sam Gerard, a U.S. Marshal.
The film was directed by Andrew Davis and written by David Twohy and Jeb Stuart, and it was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Jones won Best Supporting Actor, and it was largely his charisma and onscreen chemistry with the wounded and grieving lead character that made the film go from good to captivating. But the original script had a crazy twist that would have made Jones’s Sam Gerard a lot less likable.
According to a report from the latest issue of Empire Magazine (via /Film) in celebration of the film’s 30th anniversary, director Andrew Davis was hired to helm the film, and he said the script he was handed included a strange twist:
"[Gerard had] hired the one-armed man to kill Kimble, after Kimble screwed up an operation on Gerard's wife. [...] It made no sense. But Harrison had committed to the movie, and his viewpoint was: 'Hey – we'll fix the script.'"
Davis hated the idea that this twist pointed to fault landing on Dr. Kimble’s character, and he wanted the story to keep him innocent. So the director called his sister Josie, a nurse, and she suggested the theme of the movie. Davis recalled:
"I said, 'Josie, what could a doctor do that would get him in a lot of trouble?' She talked to some bright young resident at her hospital, who said, 'What if there's a dangerous new drug on the market and the doctor says this drug is bulls***?' So, that became the plot."
It was a great way to come at the story that made it updated and relevant, and kept it gripping and exciting to audiences. I haven’t seen The Fugitive in a long time, but I think it’s time for a rewatch! It was such a good movie.