- Dennis Waterman, Up The Junction, 1968. Said Mick’s lover of the hour, Marianne Faithful: “It didn’t seem quite right for him.”
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Malcolm McDowell, A Clockwork Orange, 1971.
- Rod Taylor, The Deadly Trackers, 1972. Or, Riata (Spanish for rope) when maverick auteur Samuel Fuller was making it for Warners.Samand studio fell out… Fuller first wanted Jagger as the bank robbing killer in this retribution parable: I Shot Jesse James Meets UnderworldUSA.Mick was keen but “Who’d go see that guy in a movie,” said the Warner suits.Rather more than ever paidto see Taylor and sheriff Richard Harris sleepwalking in the West for Sam’sreplacement Barry Shear – from 65 TV shows. “They COMPLETELY LOBOTOMISED my story,” yelled Sam in his usual CAPITALS, “yet left my name on that PIECE OF GARBAGE as a co-writer.”
- Paul Williams, Phantom of the Paradise, 1973. When it proved impossible to get The Rolling Stones for The Juicy Fruits, the first thought for Swan, the manipulative, Dorian Grayish rock icon naturally became Jagger. (Director Brian De Palma obviously saw Performance). By comparison, the elfin Williams, looked some kiddy star in adult clothing. (Yet surprisingly good). De Palma’s art v commerce opus began peculating in 1969 when shocked to hear The Beatles’ A Day In The Life as Musak in a lift. “It was an era when people were letting young directors make all kind of films,” he said. “For a while.”
- Jon Finch, The Final Programme (US: The Last Days of Man on Earth), 1973. Mick fled the Noble Prize-winning, billionaire physicist Jerry Cornelius, saying the script of the Michael Moorcock’s science fiction book was too weird. For Mick Jagger!!!
- Tim Curry, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, 1975. Talked to everyone who would listen about being the pansexual Dr Frank N Furter. Where else did Curry get his act – as Jagger proves (sans stockings) in every concert!
- Roger Daltry, Lisztomania, 1975. Mick would probably have been found really rogering his leading lady under the sheets of a love scene…. As Daltry was, according to my witness, producer David Puttnam.
- David Bowie, The Man Who Fell to Earth, 1975. Director Nic Roeg wanted his Performancestar Mick Jagger, Peter O’Toole or the exceedingly tall author Michael Crichton as the visiting alien, Thomas Jerome Newton, until mdesmewriused by the Cracked Actordocumentary about Bowie. At times, it playewd like a veritable test for Newton. Roeg’s backers, however, were insisting on… Redford. “It was the first thing I’d ever done,” Bowie told Moveline in 1982. “I actually was feeling as alienated as that character was… totally insecure with about 10 grams [of cocaine] a day in me. I was stoned out of my mind from beginning to end.”
- Kris Kistofferson, A Star Is Born, 1976.
- David Warner, Time After Time, 1979. Allow me to introduce myself: Jack The Ripper.Except writer-director Nicholas Meyer refused to give into Warners’ entreaties to remove the “period curse” of the film by having a Rolling Ripper.”I didn’tbelievehe would pass as a Harley Street surgeon,” said Meyer. “Didn’t have the accent for one thing.”
- Tim Curry, Annie, 1981. Mick pushed all necessary buttons- and people – to win the flash role of Daniel Francis “Rooster” Hannigan, con-artist brother of Carol Burnett’s Hudson Street Orphanage supervisor. Nobody took the bait.
- F Murray Abraham, Amadeus, 1983. Pushed by Jagger’s new CAAgent Rick Nicita, Czech director Milos Forman shot Jagger as Salieri while testing Rebecca De Mornay as Mozart’s wife.Both lost. In Mick’s case, a possible Oscar.”You have to have yournose to theground for whatparts are going around the major studios…They’re mostly written with some guy inmindand you only get the part if he gets ill or something.”Oh, that explainsSting andDune?
- Brad Dourif, Dune, 1984.
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Christopher Gable, Doctor Who #135: The Caves of Androzani, TV, 1984. Mixed signals about Sharez Jek… Rock idols like Jagger, David Bowie, Roger Daltrey and the rockerish Tim Curry – or actors Patrick Allen, Nicholas Ball, Steven Berkoff, Brian Cox, Christopher Gable, Michael Gambon, Julian Glover, John Hurt, Derek Jacobi, Martin Jarvis, Michael Jayston, Oliver Tobias. Gable, the ballet-dancer made a movie star by director Ken Russell, had previously been chosen for Major Salateen.
- John Wood, Ladyhawke, 1985.
“A sin!” Richard Donner yelled at me. “Against one of the great coups of our time.” Jagger was eager to be the vile bishop. “He’d prepared – brilliantly. Only the voice and accent were wrong. So, he changed them! Produced a grating voice, making a real evil bishop. Wow, I said. Fuck! I was so excited.” Until running into a brick wall named Joe Wizan, then Fox president. “No,” decreed Wizan. “I won’t do it. Nobody will believe in him.” “Hold it!” yelled Donner, “he’s an actor, a performer. I’m a director. Let me direct my film.” To which Wizan responded: “If you insist on Jagger, we’ll pull out of the picture right now.” Donner recalls: “I was so fucking angry, I wanted to take his head off. We’d gone through three years of aggravation already. It was Matthew Broderick who said: “But didn’t you see WarGames – John Wood!” And I had to write Mick Jagger a letter. I was heartbroken. This man shoulddo a really major role.”
- David Bowie, Labyrinth, 1985. For (alas) his final film as a director, Muppeteer-in-Chief Jim Henson wanted a rock star as the Goblin King Jareth, ruler of the mystical world that, as Chicago critic Roger Ebert put it, was just out of sight of ordinary eyes… Michael Jackson topped the list, a nose ahead of Jagger and Prince. Henson fancied Sting (after Dune?!). However, the Henson kids (one, Brian was voicing Hoggle) said Bowie, Bowie, Bowie, Bowie, Bowie! (There were five kids). The thin, white Major Tom wanted a kids’ yarn, loved the script, funnier than he’d expected. Well, the humour of Terry Jones of the Monty Pythons was on certain pages. And the kids now run the combine.
- John Lone, The Moderns, 1987. Due as the prophylactics magnate and art collector when director Alan Rudolph nearly got the project off the ground in the 70s.
- Bob Dylan, Hearts of Fire, 1987. Well avoided. Welsh director Richard Marquand was dead before the film opened. Just as well. The critics would have slaughtered him.
- Steve Martin, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,1988. David Bowie asked Dale Launer to write a script for him and Mick- everyone wanted the duo after their “Dancin’ inthe Streets” number during Band Aid.They had loved Launer’s Ruthless People. He suggested re-doing theBrando-Niven Bedtime Story, 1964. Universal would not release rights. Or, not for them.
- Eric Roberts, Doctor Who (The Movie), TV, 1996.
- Christopher Walken, Touch, 1997. Interested in the low-life exploiting a young miracle worker… four years before Paul Schrader shot Elmore Leonard’s tale.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Usual occupation: SingerCasting Calls: 21