Any thoughts on why he did turn the role down?

 

I think he had contract obligations to [link=http://us.imdb.com/Title?0081103]Magnum PI[/link]. Good thing too!

 

Yes, ABC didn't want to let him do it. You know their bizarre logic that they wanted to protect Magnum PI. It was even worse because I think there was a strike (writers?) back then and Magnum PI (along other shows) got postponed for a long time. By the time they actually started shooting PI, Raiders was already wrapped up, so Selleck could have done both the movie and then start Magnim PI.

If it's any consolation there was a spoof Magum Episode, raider of the Lost Art, with Magnum dressed as an Indyesque character.

 

The same situation happened to Pierce Brosnan for 007. NBC wouldn't let him out of his contract to Remington Steele to do the Living Daylights. A bunch of idiots. Don't they realize what kind of exposure a Bond film or Raiders would have been for their shows.

 

Actually Spielberg states on the Indy Trilogy re-release VHS that CBS trumped their offervto Selleck with his obligation to do Magnum P.I.
I am sure he, as well as any TV actor, would have been eager to do a film on the big screen.

 

It would still be nice to see Selleck in a Indy-type film to see waht couild've been! I think it would be cool. Too many people are slaves to Ford as Indy and underrate Selleck... High Road to China was awesome!

I'd like to see a more serious Magnum PI movie with him continuing from the final episode when he gets his Navy Commander commission back and is a Navy SEAL again. Have him and his SEAL Team go to a rescue/training op in the Southern Philippines and kick some ass!

 

Well, yea, the producers behind Remington Steele were idiots, or they were just plain jerks. THey were about to cancel the show due to dismal ratings, and so they told Brosnan they would let him do Bond even though he still had a contract. But b/c Brosnan was anounced as the new Bond, the ratings for Remington Steele started to go up b/c everybody wanted to check out the new James Bond and see what he was like. It was NOT b/c they wanted to see the show. Anyway, the producers decided they would not cancel Remington Steele, and so Brosnan didnt get to do the Living Daylights. Now, Im not a Dalton hater(he wasnt a bad Bond like a lot of people think) , but I much rather would have seen Brosnan in the Living Daylights and License to Kill than him. That was one of the most unfortunate things that ever happened, b/c those were to very good Bond movies, and Brosnan is a very good Bond. As for the situation with Selleck and Ford, I think that worked out for the best, even though Selleck would have also made a good Indiana.

 

Tom Selleck made a few western movies, and adventure-man movies, which were good, but not Indy level of success.

 

I'm trying to imagine seeing Harrison Ford playing Monica's ex-boyfriend Richard on "Friends"...