One of the most successful film franchises could have turned out very differently thanks to TV detective Magnum PI.
Harrison Ford made his debut as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, and he has never looked back, leading the way in four additional films.
However, it turns out that Tom Selleck was originally set to play the iconic adventurer before declining the offer.
In an excerpt from his upcoming memoir, You Never Know, the actor, who has since appeared in Friends, Blue Bloods, and Three Men and a Baby, revealed that he chose to take the lead on Magnum PI instead.
Amid the pages, the 79-year-old explained that he read for Indiana in front of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, but he wasn’t nervous at the time; he was more concerned about whether the pilot for his series would work.
‘I got there, and Steven was quick to greet me, gave me the pages for the test, told me not to worry and to take all the time I needed,’ he penned, via People Magazine. ‘There was wardrobe waiting for me. The hat and leather jacket helped me understand the period.
Unsurprisingly, Tom impressed the pair and nailed the audition, and the Hollywood legends soon offered him the role.
‘I think it was Steven who told me. George had always been kinda quiet. Always thinking, taking things in. But I think I detected at least the hint of a smile on his face,’ he continued. ‘Look, I don’t have a clue how I responded. I hope at least I said thank you [sic].’
Tom was given the entire script and immediately connected with Indy’s character, calling the whole thing ‘fantastic’ – but he revealed that he was still waiting for an update on Magnum PI.
‘All of this was going to be, how do I put it, complicated. Extremely complicated,’ he added. ‘But hey, I had George Lucas and Steven Spielberg on my side. And, of course, I had my trusted A-team in place, Skip and Bettye.’
While he was considering the role, Magnum PI was officially picked up, and he was scheduled to start filming the CBS series immediately, so Harrison Ford was drafted in for Indy.
The rest, of course, is history.
Tom played Thomas Magnum for eight seasons before the series ended in May 1988.
Following that, he delighted audiences as Monica Geller’s former partner, Richard Burke, in ten episodes of Friends, portrayed Frank Reagan in Blue Bloods for over a decade, and played AJ Cooper on Las Vegas.
Harrison debuted as the titular character in 1981 and returned for four sequels, including 2023’s Dial of Destiny adventure.
At the Taormina Film Festival last year, he thanked Tom for taking on Magnum PI, which allowed him to have the adventure of a lifetime.
‘How did I get this job? Tom Selleck had the job, but he also had a contract to do a television series, which he couldn’t get out of, he said during a panel discussion.
‘I became the second choice, and I’m very grateful for Tom. Thank you, Tom, man. If you’re listening, thank you again.’
Harrison explained that George called him personally, flagging that he had a script to send over.
‘He said, “I want you to read it right away, I want you to read it in an hour,”’ he recalled. ‘I sat down, I read it an hour, and he said, “I want you to go over to Steven Spielberg’s house and talk to him.”
‘I went to Steven Spielberg’s house, I had never met Steven Spielberg before. I guess, about an hour later, I had the job.’
His most recent film, Dial Of Destiny, came out last year and will be the final Indiana Jones film.
He confirmed the franchise’s official end, telling Total Film at the time: ‘This is the final film in the series, and this is the last time I’ll play the character.
‘I anticipate that it will be the last time that he appears in a film.’
