Casting What-Ifs reports Bill Pullman originally set for Jerry before a scheduling conflict and Richard Jenkins also considered; Pullman is judged too dashing, while Macy’s pursuit of the part is recalled.
Art Linson’s book is cited for the attempt to recruit Harrison Ford, whose participation was expected to make a much bigger hit; Ford passed. — Bill Simmons
Bill Pullman was reportedly lined up as a last-minute replacement during Baldwin’s beard dispute. — Bill Simmons
Dustin Hoffman turned down the role, and the production went far into discussions with De Niro. — Van Lathan
De Niro reportedly gave a deliberately flat table read because he had not made character choices, frustrating Linson. — Bill Simmons
De Niro reportedly remained concerned about the bear whether fake or real; Pullman is recalled as another near participant. — Bill Simmons
Will Smith: no, it is Men in Black, three for three, though this or Bad Boys is also floated. — Bill Simmons
His peak was not longer because he kept chasing the biggest box office instead of weaving in something different, not only because of Wild Wild West. — Bill Simmons
He passed on Denzel-type roles such as Man on Fire and Django. — Bill Simmons
Will Smith in Man on Fire would be welcome but could not be better than Denzel. — Shea Serrano
Long dumbfounded action-movie stares peak with Jurassic Park rather than this, with Close Encounters also mentioned.
Vivica A. Fox gets a yes, countered by Set It Off where she is the star.
Alien-invasion movies: this over War of the Worlds, whose ship sound is better but whose baseball throw ruined it. — Shea Serrano
Concussed aliens: definitely, though CTE knowledge would put the aliens in protocol now. — Chris Ryan
The film is argued to be the apex of the presidency, before Lewinsky, with Dave in 1993 and The West Wing coming; Whitmore is put up with Obama, Kennedy and Lincoln, with nuking his own city a con and speaking and flying the pros. — Chris Ryan
Computer viruses are a last apex: early in the computer-virus era, the plot point worked. — Bill Simmons
Kevin Spacey was supposed to be the president, but Fox refused because he was not a big enough star; the part was written for a Bill Pullman type. — Bill Simmons
Relief is expressed that Spacey is not the president in this movie. — Bill Simmons
Ally Walker was supposed to play Margaret Colin's character; Colin jokingly told a casting assistant she was 22, it was written down, and she nearly lost the part. — Bill Simmons
Jada Pinkett was supposed to have the Vivica Fox role but had a Nutty Professor conflict, and ended up with Will Smith anyway. — Bill Simmons
Matthew Perry was reportedly offered Captain Jimmy Wilder and pulled out, though this could not be confirmed; a Chandler version is imagined. — Bill Simmons
The end-of-the-world song was originally supposed to be Tears for Fears' Everybody Wants to Rule the World. — Bill Simmons
There were fewer casting what-ifs than expected because they knew who they wanted. — Bill Simmons
Movie presidents are raised as something held for Apex Mountain; it is unclear whether the Mount Rushmore allows TV or only movies. — Bill Simmons
If movies only, the four most important movie presidents are Michael Douglas in The American President, Kevin Klein in Dave and Pullman in Independence Day, with the fourth spot wide open; for this participant it is Jeff Bridges in The Contender, who seemed very presidential. — Bill Simmons
Kevin Klein in Dave redid a budget and healed America; since a movie president appears only when something bad is happening, the preference is for one who can handle himself.
White House Down, seen only once, is said to be better and sillier than remembered; Olympus Has Fallen is preferred by one participant.
This movie president is ranked number one: it was the first and only movie president for this participant, and the final speech lays out a president's values and character in four minutes. — Amanda Dobbins
A "Mount Presmore" is offered with Douglas in The American President and Kevin Klein in Dave, one of them called number one; another participant also has him number one but does not want to rank. — Amanda Dobbins
Jeff Bridges in The Contender is unbelievable and seems like he could have been a real president. — Bill Simmons
Haysbert in 24 was an ahead-of-its-time character who seemed in charge; the four so far are named as favorites, making Haysbert a candidate fourth slot. — Bill Simmons
Haysbert is switched out for Morgan Freeman in Deep Impact, a stern crisis president, leaving the fourth slot unsettled; Dave is the quintessential president movie and this the quintessential White House movie. — Van Lathan
All three participants love The Contender. — Van Lathan
Bill Pullman in Independence Day is added for his end speech; the worst movie presidents are left for a future president movie. — Bill Simmons
Chick’s ex-wife bars contact and then immediately embraces him as the boy’s father after the mission, a reversal one host finds unearned even after saving Earth.
The president makes consequential speeches but is never given a name; a proposal suggests Bill Pullman should have played every fictional 1990s president. — Chris Ryan
The movie ignores the absence of sound in space and solves a prolonged communications blackout with one satellite bounce that produces crystal-clear final video. — Chris Ryan
A.J.’s crashed vehicle locates Harry’s group despite enormous potential separation, as though crossing metropolitan Los Angeles.
The asteroid is struck by more asteroids, and the countdown repeatedly stretches to allow global assembly, training, transit, reunion, and emotional pauses. — Chris Ryan
Eating, sanitation, and survival during the surface drive disappear from the story. — Chris Ryan
A case exists for Bill Pullman because he finally gets the girl, but his apex is the megaphone speech in Independence Day the following year. — Amanda Dobbins
It is a great movie but no one's apex; Bullock's breakthrough needed the one-two punch of Speed and this film. — Juliet Litman
