Harrison Ford’s Biggest Role Nearly Went To Tom Selleck, See The Screen Test
New test footage shows Tom Selleck in the role of Indiana Jones.
In arguably one of the biggest “what if” scenarios, test footage has been found which showcases Tom Selleck in the role of Indiana Jones. Back before the role went to Harrison Ford, it appears Selleck was a top choice to take on the role of the world’s most adventurous archaeologist. The video, which you can see below, showcases Steven Spielberg speaking on the many actors they tried out before pivoting to showing Selleck in the iconic Indiana Jones outfit.
After Steven Spielberg talks about the actors who tried out, we get to see Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones interacting with actress Sean Young, who was intitally meant to portray Marion. The footage is quite good, and Selleck does look as though he would have been great in the role of Indy. However, the roles would ultimately go to Harrison Ford and Karen Allen.
Despite Tom Selleck losing out on the role of Indiana Jones, he had some great on-screen chemistry with Sean Young. That fact is also echoed by George Lucas, who speaks about the test screening as well. Selleck might not have had the same gravitas as Ford did, but he did look quite good in the costume.
Tom Selleck being cast as Indiana Jones might have also derailed his career, and could have resulted in him losing his lead role as Mangum, P.I. Selleck’s career exploded after the series, which ran from 1980 to 1988 with eight seasons and was a top 20 program in the U.S. for its first five seasons. We are not saying that it was smart for Selleck to stay in that role, but we imagine he made a ton of money for it.
Indiana Jones also became one of the most iconic characters in the history of cinema for his portrayal by Harrison Ford. Tom Selleck may have looked good in the Indiana Jones costume, but he might not have had the same amount of success as the character. Currently, Ford is set to reprise the role the fifth movie, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
It is quite fascinating to think about all the actors that tried out for iconic parts, only to be replaced by iconic actors. Tom Selleck was up for the role of Indiana Jones next to Harrison Ford, Tim Matheson, and Peter Coyote. Both Matheson and Coyote are certainly great actors in their own right, and they could have also been great in the role.
Who knows, maybe one day Tom Selleck, Tim Matheson, and Peter Coyote can appear in the role of Indiana Jones in some sort of multiverse type of story, which is currently very popular.
Tom Selleck certainly did not get the role of Indiana Jones, but we can all see the rightful purveyor of the whip, when Harrison Ford returns to the character in June. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will officially hit theaters on June 30, 2023. Just to play Devil’s Advocate one more time, we think Selleck would have been fantastic as Indy.
