Steven Spielberg revealed that he and George Lucas loved Selleck’s screen test and initially offered him the role of the archaeologist and adventurer, but the actor was tied to another contract and Harrison Ford ultimately played the lead in one of the most iconic adventure franchises in cinema history.
“George and I interviewed many people to play Indiana Jones and tested them,” the filmmaker told Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson’s IMO podcast. “We both discovered and decided that Tom Selleck should play Indiana Jones. He came in, auditioned, and he was great. I loved it.”
Spielberg, 79, explained that Selleck ended up losing the role because of contractual obligations with a TV series. “We wanted Tom, we gave the role to Tom, and he had, something we didn’t know, an excellent contract with the CBS network to do Magnum PI,” the director recalled.
“Tom is a great guy. I love him,” Spielberg said.
Selleck became known around the world for playing the charming private investigator Thomas Magnum, and the role turned the actor into one of the biggest pop culture symbols of the 1980s.
The 81-year-old actor will host, narrate, and executive produce a new documentary series on the History Channel. It will be Selleck’s first program since the end of “Blue Bloods”, the police drama series that ended in December 2024 after 14 seasons.
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