Indiana Jones is probably on top of everyone's list of greatest cinematic heroes of all time, that much is undebatable. But can you see Tom Selleck, a.k.a. Magnum P.I., as the beloved character?
While Selleck has seen his fair share of action on all of his hit shows, including Blue Bloods, and had the physique for Indiana Jones at the time of casting, we just can't picture it. But then again we can't picture any our of most beloved characters being played by anyone else.
But while we patiently wait for Indiana Jones 5, let's look at the time when we almost didn't get Harrison Ford as Indy.
His Career Had A Slow Start
Into the '70s, Selleck was virtually unknown, having only acted in minor roles since his debut in Lancer in 1969. He had an eight-episode arc on Bracken's World and made his film debut in The Seven Minutes, but after that, he only appeared in a couple of episodes of various shows, tons of television movies, and a few unknown films.
Until 1980, when he miraculously landed the lead role in the show, Magnum P.I. Just as Selleck got the role that would make him famous, casting for George Lucas and Steven Spielberg's collaborative film Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark had just begun.
Did Selleck have enough acting experience to take on this larger-than-life hero?
Apparently, a lot of fans think that he did because of rumors saying Selleck in fact got the role but turned it down. In a 2017 interview with the Build Series, Selleck said this was not the complete truth and set the record straight.
"Hollywood lore is that you passed on Indiana Jones for Magnum P.I.," the host said. Selleck's response was, "No, I’m not that stupid." He continued to elaborate.
"After I did the pilot for Magnum, I tested for Indiana Jones and got the job. Steven [Spielberg] and George [Lucas] offered me the job," he explained.
"And I said, ‘Well, I’ve done this pilot. And they said, ‘Thanks for telling us. Most actors wouldn’t do that, but we got cards to play with CBS. Turned out, CBS wouldn’t let me do it. They held the offer out for about a month. Harrison Ford hates to hear this. Harrison, this is your role, and you’re indelible in it; it’s just an interesting story. I signed a deal for Magnum, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I’m proud that I lived up to my contract.
"Some people said, ‘You’ve got to get into a car and drive into a brick wall and get injured and get out of Magnum and do this [Raiders].’ I said ‘I gotta look my mom and dad in the eye, and we don’t do that,’ so I did Magnum…that’s not so bad is it?"
His screen test for the role has since been published on YouTube, and it wiggs us out. Selleck is dressed in the iconic Indiana Jones costume, and he does have a similarly deep voice to Ford's but it's just weird to see.
Deep Fake Technology Shows Selleck Could Have Done The Part Justice
Thanks to technology, we can see exactly how Selleck would have looked if he took the role. Deep fake technology has the ability to superimpose Selleck's face on Ford's body in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Even though it's weird, it does look pretty cool and believable.
It's just surprising to hear that Ford wasn't Lucas' and Spielberg's first choice, especially since Lucas had already worked with him on Star Wars, which made Ford into a household name. But then again maybe Lucas had a thing for casting unknown actors in his films. Ford was a carpenter before getting Han Solo after all.
Lucas said that the main reason he didn't want to cast Ford in Indiana Jones was that he'd already been in two of his films and he didn't want Ford to become his Robert De Niro. Fair enough, but great director/actor collaborations do happen. Look at Johnny Depp and Tim Burton.
Ironically, the filming of Magnum P.I.'s pilot was delayed for six months due to a six-month writers strike, which could have allowed Selleck to leave the show and take on Indiana Jones. If he didn't want to back out on his contract he could have filmed the movie in that six-months and then return to Magnum when the strike was over.
So that means that Selleck could have been Indy only by a hair's width. What a close call. But the cinema gods have spoken.