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Will Smith, Bad Boys, 1994. Or changed boys… The first script, then called Bulletproof Hearts, was written for Saturday Night Live stars, Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz. “Horrified” by the wild producer Don Simpson, Carvey withdrew. So, the duo was Eddie Murphy and Wesley Snipes when the rights moved from Disney to Columbia… which fancied a Will Smith actioner. Martin Lawrence became his co-star. They both had hit TV series – The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Martin – and had the necessary wit to improvise most of their good Bad roles. Arsenio Hall later said refusing the ’96 release was the worst mistake of his career. He was not alone. Hall said Laurence Fishburne walked away.
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Chris Farley, Beverly Hills Ninja, 1997. Carvey was first choice in what became a ten-year fight to film the first script to be re-aquired by its writers via a Writers Guild of America loophole.
- Robert Downey Jr, Home For The Holidays, 1994. Offered $3m to head (save?) Jodie Foster’s second outing as director.
- Chris Farley, Beverly Hills Ninja, 1996. Farley was more sumo wrestler than ninja. At 33, Chris was the third Saturday Night Live heavweight to die (too) young, after John Belushi, 33, and John Candy, 43.
- Eric Roberts, Doctor Who (The Movie), TV, 1996.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 5