Spielberg and Ford worked together closely from 1981 to 1989 in the Indiana Jones trilogy; Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade. After putting a pin in the series the famed director turned to adapt a new franchise into a blockbuster hit. This time, instead of working with friend and Indy creator George Lucas, he started working on bringing an ever-popular Michael Crichton book to life.
Spielberg’s filmmaking company Amblin Entertainment adapted and released Jurassic Park in 1993.
The film was a complete hit, making more than $1 billion at the box office. And it isn’t a surprise with such a star-studded cast behind it.
Not only did it include the legendary Jeff Goldblum, but it also employed the likes of Laura Dern, Richard Attenborough and Samuel L Jackson.
The protagonist for the film was Dr Alan Grant who was played by Neill, but in 2008 Spielberg revealed he originally offered it to Indy actor Ford.
While promoting the fourth Indiana Jones movie, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Spielberg and Ford spoke with the LA Times.
READ MORE: Indiana Jones: Steven Spielberg’s cheeky 007 reference after rejection
The publication said: “A new character intended to be played by Ford was included in early drafts of Jurassic World.
“The actor did not stay attached to the project long enough to see if his character made it into later rewrites.”
Long before Ford missed out on playing Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park, he almost missed out on playing Indy when Lucas became reluctant to cast him.
After working with the Han Solo actor on the original Star Wars trilogy – A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi – the director confessed he didn’t want to become associated with the star.
Years later Lucas said he didn’t want to create a relationship like Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese, who have worked on nine films together.
He said: “I was wary of Harrison and I becoming like [them]. I thought: ‘Let’s create a new icon.’
“We found Tom Selleck, but as soon as the network heard, his option on Magnum P.I. got picked up.”
After Selleck dropped out of Indiana Jones, Lucas spoke to Ford, who of course accepted the role.
The Indiana Jones films are available to watch on NOW.
Published at Tue, 30 Mar 2021 09:50:00 +0000
Indiana Jones: Steven Spielberg offered Harrison Ford another role after Indy trilogy
