Steven Spielberg Reveals How Close Tom Selleck Came to Being Indiana Jones
Steven Spielberg says his first choice for Indiana Jones wasn’t Harrison Ford — it was Tom Selleck, who came closer than you’d think to donning the fedora before Ford made the role iconic.
Right, here’s a bit of Hollywood trivia you might not have heard in a while: Indiana Jones could’ve had a moustache. And no, that’s not some wild concept art from an alternate universe – Tom Selleck, the bloke from Magnum P.I., was very nearly Dr Jones before Harrison Ford ever dusted off his fedora.
Spielberg Wanted Selleck. CBS Wanted Magnum
Steven Spielberg recently dug up this ‘what could have been’ on the show IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson, letting slip that both he and George Lucas had their hearts set on Selleck as Indy back in 1981, when they were casting Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Spielberg’s words (and he does sound a bit wistful about it):
'We both discovered and decided that Tom Selleck should play Indiana Jones. [Selleck] came in, and he read for the part. He was good. His test was good. I loved it. But there’s where the strings of destiny didn’t cross with Tom. We wanted Tom. We gave Tom the part, and then he had, which we didn’t realize, an outstanding contract with CBS network to do Magnum P.I. … When they heard we wanted Tom, they immediately put Magnum P.I. into production, preempting Tom from being in Indiana Jones.'
To put it less theatrically: they cast Selleck, but CBS apparently panicked the moment someone else wanted their main man, rushed Magnum P.I. into production, and legally locked Selleck out of the Indy gig. No contract loopholes, no second chances, just network TV at its most territorial.
Selleck’s Take: Definitely Not Bragging
If you think Selleck’s dined out for decades on this 'I nearly was Indiana Jones' anecdote, you might be surprised. He’s been pretty modest about the whole thing. Years ago, in a chat back in 1997, the man himself actually sounded a bit sheepish about all the ‘what ifs’:
'To be honest, I’m a little embarrassed by it all because there is no other Indiana Jones than Harrison Ford. He is indelible in that role. It’s his achievement. I just hope Harrison doesn’t think I’m running around going, "I was first choice for