Tom Selleck recounts CBS preventing the 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' role

The catch here is that Selleck never actually turned down the role. The mustache himself set the record straight on Letterman, laying the blame at the feet of CBS:

“They held the offer out about a month. And the more they held out the offer and talked to the network, the more the network said, ‘no…’

So I go to Hawaii to start Magnum, the actors go on strike, and I had given my deposit to a landlady and I couldn’t afford a security deposit. So I start working as a handy man, in Hawaii, with no job. And guess who comes to Hawaii to finish their movie? Raiders of the Lost Ark. So I could’ve done them both.”

Selleck as Indy makes 'Sack the Agent' List

Reality check - Don't blame the agent, blame the network since Selleck was held out of Indiana Jones due to his Magnum PI commitments. From http://www.halcyonmag.com comes an article "Sack the Agent"

A wise man once said that experience is a hard teacher; it tests you first and teaches you the lesson after. With that in mind, let’s hope that the agents to these actors and actresses have been studying hard. It time to reveal the top 10 shoulda, woulda, coulda’s in Hollywood history…

Mel Gibson as Gladiator, John Travolta as Forrest Gump...seems like a bunch of bad ideas in hindsight. So... at #4.

Tom Selleck: Indiana Jones. Tom Selleck was once given a choice: Magnum PI, or Indiana Jones. With both projects providing a scheduling clash, Selleck’s agent nobly said that Tom should honour his initial deal for Magnum PI, thus forgoing the chance to grab his fedora and whip (standard archaeology professor issued) and make one of the most successful franchises of all time. To add insult to injury, Magnum PI was later put on hold for 6 months due to a writer’s strike, meaning that Selleck could have been legging it from giant boulders after all. Still, at least he made An Innocent Man…

http://www.halcyonmag.com/2011/09/04/top-10-%E2%80%9Csack-the-agent%E2%80%9D-casting-blunders/

Great photo Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones

The photoshop work is really, really good on this one.

Who are Steven Spielberg and George Lucas pointing and looking at?

Hey there goes that guy we almost hired to be Indiana Jones....what's his name again?

Tim...right? Tim something

Wikipedia updated: CBS to blame for Selleck NOT being Indiana Jones

It would have changed the course of many movies and some television shows thereafter. Harrison Ford has become a movie icon, while Magnum P.I. opened up the crime genre for the 80s with several owing their success to CBS’s high ratings. It’s impossible to imagine anyone other than Ford as Indiana Jones.

From Wikipedia:

During an intensive casting process, Lucas and Spielberg auditioned many actors, and finally cast then little-known actor Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones. Shortly afterward pre-productionbegan in earnest on Raiders of the Lost Ark.However, CBS refused to release Selleck from his contractual commitment to Magnum, P.I. (which was gradually gaining momentum in theratings), forcing him to turn down the role.One of CBS’s concerns was that shooting forMagnum P.I. conflicted with shooting for Raiders, both of which were to begin about the same time. However, Selleck was to say later in an interview that shooting for Magnum P.I.was delayed and did not actually begin until shooting for Raiders had concluded.

1983 Playboy interview Tom Selleck No regrets on missing Indiana Jones role

Playboy: Do you admit that the biggest selling factor in High Road was Tom Selleck? The picture made money, but the reviews were mixed, at best.

Selleck: Well, I think it was a good movie, but if people came to see me, that's great. I hope they keep coming, because I want to keep making movies. And I prefer calling them movies. I think we can really get full of ourselves when all of a sudden it's "careers" and "films."
Playboy: Didn't you almost become a movie star before becoming a TV star when George Lucas offered you Harrison Ford's role in Raiders of the Lost Ark?

Selleck: Yes. I was also going to do Victor/Victoria, by Blake Edwards. Both would have been exciting projects, but when there were scheduling conflicts, I chose Magnum.

Playboy: Any regrets?

Selleck: No. I can't imagine anybody doing a better job than Ford did. It's his movie, his accomplishment. It was offered to me, and I tested for it. I'd already done the pilot for Magnum, and when Lucas and Steven Spielberg offered me Raiders, CBS picked up my option for Magnum. The network tried to talk them into delaying it, but it didn't work. I have always felt a sense of accomplishment in that I tested for the part and got it.

I know it's easy for me to say now, since Magnum became such a hit. Raiders was such a successful film that had Magnum gone on the air and been canceled after four shows, I might have been depressed. Really depressed. [Another knock. "Rehearsals, Tom!" After a half hour, the interview resumes.]

Playboy: You've been called the new Gable, the new Redford, the new Newman. Is that kind of PR hard to live up to?

Selleck: If it comes from the PR people, I say, "Forget it, guys." I just laugh. If a critic says it, I think all you can be is flattered by that stuff. There isn't going to be another Gable or Redford or Newman. To be mentioned in the same sentence is real flattering. I'm a big fan of all those people. The problem with buying any of that stuff yourself is that next year, they'll be calling somebody else the new Gable. If you really buy that, you've got a long way to fall when it changes--and it will change. Actors have a lot of hills and valleys in their careers, and I see no reason that I won't have a few more valleys in the future. I don't want to fall that far.


http://www.playboy.co.uk/article/16309/playboy-interview-tom-selleck#texttop

Tom Selleck did NOT turn down Indiana Jones

Another false rumor about the star 'turning down' the role in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" - check out this blog and you will read that Selleck was already UNDER CONTRACT and could not do the project.

From an article titled: 5 popular actors who turned down unbelievable movie roles


Yep, the ‘stache that fired up the libidos of many a modern day cougar back in the ’80s, turned down the role. Instead, he decided to pursue the “Magnum P.I.” television series. Harrison Ford swept right in, and earned millions from the trilogy and residuals. Selleck got a semi-famous role on a short lived television show and the chance to bang a bunch of bikini bunnies in Hawaii. I guess it is all about perspective…

http://reposdelight.com/2011/12/5-popular-actors-who-turned-down-unbelievable-movie-roles/

Photo/Lolo000 via wikicommons

Screen Junkies remember Tom Selleck as Indy

From an article: "8 Classic Characters That Were Almost Played By Someone Else" Screen Junkies mention the original selection of Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones

Indiana Jones: Playing a globe-trotting archeologist who tangles with Nazis and other villains to obtain mystical artifacts turned Harrison Ford into an action superstar after his earlier turn as Han Solo in “Star Wars.” Ford was a last minute replacement after Tom Selleck was forced to turn down the role. Selleck was under contract with “Magnum P.I.” when he was cast to play Indiana Jones in “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Selleck was unable to get out of his contract in time to shoot the movie, so director Steven Spielberg went with Ford in his place.

http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/movie-lists/8-classic-characters-that-were-almost-played-by-someone-else/

Tom Selleck on 'rotten deal' - Raiders of the Lost Ark

TOM SELLECK is still waiting to work with STEVEN SPIELBERG, more than a quarter of a century after he missed out on the chance to play INDIANA JONES. Selleck was offered the role of the swashbuckling archeologist in 1981's Raider's of the Lost Ark, but was contracted to star in Magnum, P.I. and a studio dispute forced Spielberg to hire Harrison Ford instead. The director promised Selleck they would make a movie together - and the 62 year old is still waiting. He says,

"I still have a letter from Steven Spielberg saying what a rotten deal I'd gotten and that I had a part out there and somewhere along the line we are going to work together. "I haven't played that card yet."

-December 2007

Great photoshop work: Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones

Source: http://www.rabittooth.com/

Selleck missing out on Indy role makes list of missed choices

Movie Holes list: 50 Original Casting Choices

With the rehabilitated curiosity – stemming from the footage that was recently released… albeit 25 years later! – in Eric Stoltz’s engagement as Marty McFly in “Back to the Future” pre-Michael J.Fox, and of course the big casting switcheroo on “The Hangover 2” (Mel Gibson swapped for Liam Neeson), thought it might be fun to take a look back at some of the could-have-been’s of the celluloid struggle.
The following list includes roles that some passed on, movies that an actor or actress was forced to pull out of for one reason or another (ultimately having to be replaced), and some, like Stoltz, that were vetoed either just before – or at the start of – a particular film’s shoot.

43. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) – Tom Selleck as ‘Indiana Jones’
It was a done deal. TV star Tom Selleck would play adventure-seeking archaeologist Indiana Jones in a film by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Unfortunately the pilot of a TV series that Selleck had filmed (“Magnum P.I”) was picked up and Selleck was legally obligated to it. So the moustached-hunk was off to Hawaii, and “Raiders” was a hero short. Spielberg suggested that Lucas hire his “Star Wars” star Harrison Ford to play “Raiders”’ superman, but Lucas was dead against using actors he’d used before (always has been). Lucas eventually agreed that Ford was the best man for the job.

Tom Selleck interview: talks Indiana Jones role

from an interview September 30, 2010 with Collider


What did you think Magnum was going to be when it started?

Tom: Thirteen paychecks. We were picked up, and that was the best thing that ever happened. I didn’t know past that. It almost didn’t go because CBS got in a fight with Universal. Universal said, “We’re not shooting it in Hawaii,” and CBS said, “We bought a show for Hawaii.” It was off the schedule after it sold, so it was a bit of a roller-coaster for awhile. Then, I went over there to start it and the Screen Actors Guild went on strike. I was stuck with a rent I couldn’t afford and worked for my landlady for seven bucks and hour, so I didn’t have to give up my security deposit until the show actually started.

Is that when you almost got the Indiana Jones role?

Tom: Yeah, I couldn’t do it. Bob Daly wouldn’t let me do it. I got offered Indiana Jones, after I did the pilot. While it turned out I could’ve done both, CBS said, “No, we’ve got a contract.”

Was that disappointing?

Tom: Yeah.

More disappointing when you saw the box office?

Tom: No. Steven [Spielberg] and George [Lucas] let me read the script. Up until then, I was pretty philosophic because I thought Magnum was probably going to sell and I told them that. They said, “We’re not worried about that. We’ve got cards to play with the network.” I screen-tested without seeing the script, and they let me go into an office when they made me the offer, so that I could read the script. I went, “Oh, my God!” because it was all there. It was on paper. They held out the offer for about a month. Harrison gets sick of this because he’s indelible. He’s Indiana Jones. It’s just an interesting story and I’m proud that I didn’t drive my car into a wall. I lived up to my contract and things didn’t work out so badly.

Photoshopped Tom Selleck & Sean Young photo "Raiders of the Lost Ark"

Back in the early 80s, you took the measure of a man based on the luxuriousness of his perm and mustache, and so it was that when casting Raiders of the Lost Ark, the obvious first choice was apparently Tom Selleck.

Check out this photo shopped masterpiece of "Raiders" starring Tom and the always wonderful Sean Young.

The really big problem for Selleck was how the timing worked out - CBS, naturally, would have had no problem having Selleck star in the picture under normal circumstances. Who wouldn’t want the star of their upcoming series to be the lead in a major motion picture? It’s great publicity.

The problem was that Magnum P.I. was developed for a specific purpose - to make use of the sets and production equipment left in Hawaii from the filming of the long-running series Hawaii 5-0.
Therefore, since that series was still filming until the beginning of 1980, CBS could not film Magnum P.I. any earlier than early 1980, which directly conflicted with the March 1980 filming schedule for Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Thus, CBS told Selleck he could not do the film.

That’s fairly well known, but what’s a bit less well known is that, as it turned out, there was a television writer’s strike in the Spring of 1980 that halted production of Magnum P.I. long enough that production was delayed for a few months, giving Selleck plenty of time to do Raiders of the Lost Ark…if it hadn’t already been given to another actor.

Pretty sad.

As a cute gag, in one of the very last episodes of Magnum P.I. ever made, Selleck was finally given the chance to play Indiana Jones, with “The Legend of the Lost Art.”

Selleck Still Waiting for Indiana Jones Payback

Tom Selleck is still waiting to work with STEVEN SPIELBERG, more than a quarter of a century after he missed out on the chance to play INDIANA JONES. Selleck was offered the role of the swashbuckling archeologist in 1981's Raider's of the Lost Ark, but was contracted to star in Magnum, P.I. and a studio dispute forced Spielberg to hire Harrison Ford instead.

The director promised Selleck they would make a movie together - and the 62 year old is still waiting. He says, "I still have a letter from Steven Spielberg saying what a rotten deal I'd gotten and that I had a part out there and somewhere along the line we are going to work together. I haven't played that card yet." (IG/CA/MT)

BY: WENN | Wednesday, December 5, 2007

http://www.atpictures.com/news.php?id=4523

Indiana Jones and Tom Selleck Totally Looks Like Chip and Dale

Indiana Jones and Tom Selleck Totally Looks Like Chip and Dale

WATCH: Fanmade "Raiders of the Lost Ark" trailer with Tom Selleck

Trailer rotated in white and black (in homage to the serial of adventures of the years 30 and 40) of this movie directed by Steven Spielberg and taken place by George Lucas, and that it has an excellent trio main character:

- Tom Selleck (Indiana Jones). Lucas´s woman, Marcia, thought of the actor to interpret the character. Tom carries out his test together with Sean Young, being so good his performance that the producers gave him the paper in April of 1.980. "Selleck was ideal", Lucas thought.

- Debra Winger (Marion Ravenwood). The young actress you presents to the tests for the paper of Marion in January of 1.980, being in all the lists of candidates of Spielberg, Lucas, Frank Marshall and Kathy Kennedy until April of that same year. Being selected for the paper of Marion, after to win a voting by hand run of with to its but strong rival. Sean Young.

- Danny De Vito. (Sallah). Spielberg thought of the actor so that interprets the Bedouin Egyptian softly and friend of Indy. The actor accepts it charmed.

Would Tom Selleck made a good Indiana Jones?

Would Tom Selleck made a good Indiana Jones? - Op-Ed by Cassam Looch

It's part of movie folklore now, but pictures have been released of Tom Selleck's screen test for Indiana Jones. The TV star was one of the first to be offered the iconic role for 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', but turned it down to see out his contract on 'Magnum P.I'.

In a costume similar to the one that Harrison Ford made his own, Selleck is complete with his own trademark: the moustache that has become his calling card.

The daring adventures of the archaeologist went on to spawn three sequels and countless spin-offs, but would any of that have been possible with Selleck in the lead role?

Producer George Lucas was the man pushing for Selleck, reportedly wanting to opt for an unknown actor rather than some of the established names that had been put forward. He also wanted to avoid casting Ford again, having worked with him on the 'Star Wars' films and 'American Graffiti'.

Director Steven Spielberg, however, knew that Ford would be perfect and when Selleck eventually dropped out Spielberg got his man.

Other names rumoured to be in the frame were Nick Nolte, Steve Martin, Bill Murray and Jack Nicholson. We can't really imagine any of those donning the hat, leather jacket and whip for the series. Or maybe we just don't want to.

Selleck has gone on to find success on the big screen with 'Three Men and a Baby' and its sequel, as well as a few other hits, but nothing matches the one that got away.

Indeed he has tried (and failed) to find other action hero roles in films like 'Quigley Down Under' and 'High Road to China', which mimic the formula perfected by Spielberg, Lucas and Ford. Well perfected for three films anyway.

Ironically, having opted to stick with 'Magnum P.I.', Selleck was left twiddling his thumbs as a writers strike delayed filming by six months... just enough time to have completed 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'.

Surely the video footage of this screen test would be the holy grail for Indiana Jones fans.

http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/blog/article/199532/would-tom-selleck-have-made-a-good-indiana-jones.html

WATCH: Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones

Video Clip of the Tom Selleck audition as Indiana Jones

Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones Raiders poster

This is a great job by the folks at


http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/10/17/mustache-on-or-off-tom-selleck-replaces-harrison-ford-on-indiana-jones-poster/2010-10-17-tom_selleck_indy/