Is there anyone who isn't fond of Jeff Goldblum's work? It's a stone cold fact that the Goldblum brings something quite unique and special to every single movie and TV show he's ever appeared in. I'll happily watch anything and everything he ever does. Hell, I even watched Glee when he guest-starred!
Whilst I've been researching for the many trivia articles I regularly post I've discovered that our Mr Goldblum has been considered for, and often come very close to playing, a heck of a lot of famous roles. So without further ado, here are 10 movies and shows that could've starred Jeff Goldblum.
1. Jack Bauer in 24
Howard Gordon, one of the show’s writers and producers, revealed:
"This is a crazy thought, but at one point Jeff Goldblum was actually being considered for Jack Bauer. "2. Peter Venckman in Ghostbusters
The role was originally written for John Belushi but after his death many different actors were considered for the part before Bill Murray signed on the dotted line. Amongst them were Michael Keaton, Christopher Lloyd and Jeff Goldblum.
3. Doc Brown in Back To The Future
Christopher Lloyd won the part but the Goldblum was almost the Doc in Back to the Future, however his age went against him (he's 14 years younger than Christopher Lloyd to the day, fact fans!). Producer Bob Gale later admitted that if Lloyd had passed on the part, it likely would've been the Goldblum!
4. Travis Dane in Under Siege 2: Dark Territory
Warner Brothers wanted Goldblum to play the crazed computer genius-turned-terrorist who designed the Grazer One satellite weapon for the US government before faking his death. But Goldblum turned the role down.
5. The Scarecrow in Batman Triumphant
Batman Triumphant was the proposed sequel to Batman & Robin. Joel Schumacher wanted Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum to play the villain in the movie, The Scarecrow. However I think we all know how well Batman & Robin turned out, so this movie was scrapped.
6. Dr David Blume in Blue Sunshine
Blue Sunshine is a strange little movie from 1978. A bizarre series of murders begins in Los Angeles, where people start going bald and then become homicidal maniacs. It's linked to a form of blue LSD the murderers took 10 years earlier. Jeff Goldblum nearly played Dr David Blume - a kind of 1970s Walter White (kind of) - but lost the part because the director, Jeff Lieberman, thought Goldblum and main star Zalman King looked too similar. I would've got rid of King personally!
7. Bruce Banner in Hulk
Back in the early 2000s when Ang Lee was casting Hulk, Jeff Goldblum was in consideration for the part of Bruce Banner. Just think if he'd won the part (and I think he'd make an excellent Banner), and that movie had turned out differently (good) the Goldblum might've ended up in The Avengers.
8. Howard Stern in Private Parts
Although it was based on his own autobiography, many people at Paramount were against Howard Stern playing, er, Howard Stern in the movie Private Parts. So when Stern was arguing with the production company over movie details, Paramount executives approached Jeff Goldblum to see if if he'd be interested in playing the DJ instead. It didn't matter if he was because Stern clearly sorted out his issues.
9. Han Solo in Star Wars
It's well documented that Harrison Ford was nowhere near the first choice for the role of Han Solo. The role of 'Han' was offered to, and turned down by, James Caan, Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, Burt Reynolds and Jeff Goldblum - "Don't uh, get cocky kid"
10. Gargamel in The Smurfs
The Goldblum was the first choice for the role of Gargamel in 2011's The Smurfs, clearly our Jeff had some sense about him when he turned down that stinker of a movie!
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