\n\t\t\t\t\tA resurfaced screen test shows Tom Selleck reading opposite Sean Young for Raiders of the Lost Ark. George Lucas initially resisted rehiring Harrison Ford because of Han Solo, but Steven Spielberg, impressed by The Empire Strikes Back, pushed for another look, and Ford\u2019s audition ultimately sealed the role.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
A long-buried screen test has put Tom Selleck back in the fedora, reminding fans that Indiana Jones almost had a very different face. The footage pairs him with Sean Young and revives the tug-of-war behind the scenes, where George Lucas balked at rehiring Harrison Ford so soon after Han Solo. Steven Spielberg saw it differently after The Empire Strikes Back and kept pushing. Ford\u2019s audition ultimately settled the debate, reshaping a role that would stamp itself on film history.<\/p>\n
Tom Selleck\u2019s surprising audition<\/p>\n
You know the lore by heart, yet the footage still startles. A resurfaced screen test shows Tom Selleck sparring with Sean Young, trading sharp lines as Indy and Marion in the notorious bar reunion scene. The chemistry is easy to see. Early on, George Lucas favored Selleck for the lead, eager to keep distance from a certain space smuggler who already belonged to movie history.<\/p>\n
George Lucas\u2019s hesitation and Spielberg\u2019s persistence<\/p>\n
Lucas\u2019s concern was practical, even protective. He worried that casting Harrison Ford again would blur identities after Han Solo. This is the case when filmmakers keep returning to one muse, a rhythm not unlike Scorsese and De Niro. But Steven Spielberg, newly energized by Ford\u2019s presence in The Empire Strikes Back, kept pushing, convinced the actor could carry a pulp adventure with old-school swagger.<\/p>\n
Before Harrison Ford, Tom Selleck was cast as Indiana Jones in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. This is his screen test. pic.twitter.com\/bhCwrxmPHs<\/a><\/p>\n