
07/07/2025
In 1980, Tom Selleck was offered the role of Indiana Jones in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981) after impressing both Steven Spielberg and George Lucas during screen tests. According to casting director Mike Fenton, Selleck was their top choice. A screen test featuring Selleck and Sean Young as Marion Ravenwood still circulates today, proving how close he came to securing the part. Spielberg and Lucas had already moved past other contenders, including Jeff Bridges and Tim Matheson. The role was Selleck’s, until contractual commitments to "Magnum, P.I." (1980–1988) intervened.
At the time, Selleck had just shot the pilot for "Magnum, P.I." and CBS held an option on him. Even though the show had not gone to series yet, CBS refused to release him to take on the film role. In a 2014 appearance on "The Graham Norton Show," Selleck recalled, “I got the job. George and Steven said, ‘You’ve got the part.’ I was thrilled. Then CBS said, ‘You can’t do it. You belong to us.’” He added, “So I couldn’t do it. It hurt.”
The timing proved particularly painful. The pilot for "Magnum, P.I." had wrapped, and there was a production delay due to a writers’ strike. Selleck later explained that during this hiatus, Hawaii remained untouched by the strike, and had CBS allowed him to film "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), he could have completed it before "Magnum" resumed. “They held the option and wouldn’t budge,” he told "TV Guide." “They didn’t even know if they were picking up the show yet.”
It was an ironic twist. The role of Indiana Jones was practically his, yet bureaucratic hesitation made it impossible. Harrison Ford, who had already made his mark as Han Solo in "Star Wars" (1977), was offered the part only after Selleck’s deal collapsed. Ford’s performance would go on to define the character, but Selleck’s near-miss remained one of the most talked-about what-ifs in Hollywood casting history.
In several interviews, Selleck has reflected candidly on how the experience shaped his view of the industry. During a 2020 appearance on the "Today" show, he said, “I’ve had a great career, but I won’t lie, there’s a little sting when you know the opportunity came and went because of paperwork.” He also acknowledged that he was under contract, and contracts were meant to be honored. Still, he admitted, “I wish they had let me do both. That movie was a cultural shift.”
Interestingly, in 1983, Spielberg and Lucas offered him another shot at collaboration with "High Road to China" (1983), which featured a similar adventure tone. Though the film received moderate attention, it did not match the scale or success of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981). Selleck performed his own stunts and brought intensity to the role, but critics saw the film as a reminder of what he had missed.
Years later, George Lucas commented on the situation in the book "The Making of Raiders of the Lost Ark," saying, “Tom was great, he had the charisma and the timing. But we couldn't wait. We had a shooting schedule. Harrison came in and nailed it. The rest is history.”
Selleck has since moved on, but the regret occasionally surfaces. He once joked during an interview, “I’ve seen that movie a hundred times. I like Harrison in it, but every now and then I imagine myself swinging that whip.”
One phone call from CBS changed Tom Selleck’s entire trajectory, proving how even a perfect casting choice can collapse under corporate grip.