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List of film roles for which Bill Murray was considered

American actor and comedian Bill Murray has been known for not having an agent or manager. The only way he accepts role offers is by responding at random to messages from an unlisted toll-free telephone number which he created. This arrangement has made it difficult for filmmakers to contact Murray and cast him in their films.[1] As a result, Murray has gained a reputation for missing out on a number of opportunities to portray certain characters in films he was considered to appear in.[2][3] The following is a list of films Murray turned down or missed out on.

List

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Name Year Offered role Ref Notes
Star Wars 1977 Han Solo [4][5][6][7][8][9] Role went to Harrison Ford.
Animal House 1978 Donald "Boon" Schoenstein [5][6][7] Role went to Peter Riegert.
The Jerk 1979 Cameo [5][6][7] A
Airplane! 1980 Ted Striker [2][3][6][10][11][12] Role went to Robert Hays.
Raiders of the Lost Ark 1981 Indiana Jones [6][10][13] Role went to Harrison Ford.
The Dead Zone 1983 Johnny Smith [2][3][5][6][7][12] Role went to Christopher Walken.
Splash 1984 Allen Bauer [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][12] Role went to Tom Hanks.
Lost in America 1985 David Howard [2][3][6][12][13] Role went to Albert Brooks.
About Last Night 1986 Danny Martin [2][3][12] Role went to Rob Lowe.
Club Paradise 1986 Jack Moniker [5][6] Role went to Robin Williams.
Gung Ho 1986 Hunt Stevenson [2][3][12][13] Role went to Michael Keaton.
Legal Eagles 1986 Laura Kelly [2][3][5][6][12] B
Three Amigos 1986 Dusty Bottoms [5][7] Role went to Chevy Chase.
The Witches of Eastwick 1987 Daryl Van Horne [2][3][5][7][12] Role went to Jack Nicholson.
Rain Man 1988 Raymond Babbitt or Charlie Babbitt [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][12] C
Who Framed Roger Rabbit 1988 Eddie Valiant [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][11][12] Role went to Bob Hoskins.
Batman 1989 Bruce Wayne/Batman [4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Role went to Michael Keaton.
Air America 1990 Billy Covington [13] Role went to Robert Downey Jr..
Kindergarten Cop 1990 Detective John Kimble [2][3][5][12] Role went to Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Cape Fear 1991 Max Cady [6][10] Role went to Robert De Niro.
King Ralph 1991 Ralph Jones [13] Role went to John Goodman.
Philadelphia 1993 Joe Miller [5][6][7] Role went to Denzel Washington.
Forrest Gump 1994 Forrest Gump [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][12] Role went to Tom Hanks.
The Santa Clause 1994 Scott Calvin/Santa Claus [2][3][6] Role went to Tim Allen.
Toy Story 1995 Buzz Lightyear [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][12] Role went to Tim Allen.
Bottle Rocket 1996 Mr. Abe Henry [2][3][5][6][7][11][12] Role went to James Caan.
The People vs. Larry Flynt 1996 Larry Flynt [2][3][5][6][7][12] Role went to Woody Harrelson.
Boogie Nights 1997 Jack Horner [2][3][6][12] Role went to Burt Reynolds.
Primary Colors 1998 Jack Stanton [7] Role went to John Travolta.
There's Something About Mary 1998 Pat Healy [5][7] Role went to Matt Dillon.
American Pie 1999 Noah Levenstein [7] Role went to Eugene Levy.
Finding Forrester 2000 William Forrester [7] Role went to Sean Connery.
The Man Who Wasn't There 2001 Ed Crane [7] Role went to Billy Bob Thornton.
Monsters, Inc. 2001 Sulley [2][3][4][5][6][8][12] Role went to John Goodman.
Shrek 2001 Shrek [2][3][6][12] Role went to Mike Myers.
About Schmidt 2002 Warren R. Schmidt [7] Role went to Jack Nicholson.
Bad Santa 2003 Willie T. Soke [2][3][5][6][7][10][11][12] Role went to Billy Bob Thornton.
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle 2003 Jimmy Bosley [13] D
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 2005 Willy Wonka [5][6][7] Role went to Johnny Depp.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 2005 Ford Prefect [13] Role went to Mos Def.
The Ice Harvest 2005 Bill Guerrard or Pete Van Heuten [5][6] E
The Squid and the Whale 2005 Bernard Berkman [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][12] Role went to Jeff Daniels.
Little Miss Sunshine 2006 Frank Ginsberg [4][5][6][7][8] Role went to Steve Carell.
Over the Hedge 2006 RJ [14] Role went to Bruce Willis.
Alvin and the Chipmunks 2007 David Seville [2][3][6][12][13] Role went to Jason Lee.
Iron Man 2008 Unspecified role [2][3][6][11][12] F
How Do You Know 2010 Charles Madison [5][6] Role went to Jack Nicholson.

Notes

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^A Murray did a cameo in the film The Jerk (1979) in which he portrayed a "flamboyantly gay decorator" but the scene was cut from the final film.[5][6]

^B The film Legal Eagles (1986) was initially intended as a two-man vehicle for Murray and Dustin Hoffman. After both actors turned down the project, the character Murray was considered to play was then rewritten as a woman which ended up being portrayed by Debra Winger.[5]

^C According to several sources, Murray was considered to play Charlie Babbitt in the film Rain Man (1988).[4][5][6] However, a source from Business Insider claimed that Murray was considered for the part of Raymond Babbitt.[10]

^D After Murray declined to reprise his role in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), the character Jimmy Bosley, portrayed by Bernie Mac, was then created as a replacement for John Bosley.[13]

^E It is known that Murray declined a supporting role in the film The Ice Harvest (2005), but sources differ as to which role he was offered. A source from Vulture.com claimed he was considered for the part of Bill Guerrard[5] whereas a source from Mental Floss claimed he was considered for that of Pete Van Hueten.[6]

^F Robert Downey Jr. claimed that Murray was considered for a part in the film Iron Man (2008) but did not specify which role he was offered to play.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Kohn, Eric (10 June 2019). "Bill Murray Explains Why He Created a Secret 1-800 Number to Be Reached About Roles". IndieWire. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Yahr, Emily (16 September 2015). "Bill Murray has missed out on a lot of big movies — here's every strange reason why". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 23 February 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x The Washington Post (18 September 2015). "Who you gonna call? Bill Murray replaced his agents with a 1-800 number in 2000 and lost major roles". National Post. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Farr, John (6 December 2017). "Bill Murray and the Roles That Got Away". HuffPost. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad Evans, Bradford (17 February 2011). "The Lost Roles of Bill Murray". Vulture.com. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai Cormier, Roger (4 December 2015). "33 Movies That Almost Starred Bill Murray". Mental Floss. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Locke, Greg W. (August 26, 2011). "The Top 25 Roles Bill Murray Didn't Take". Archived from the original on June 19, 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Farr, John (19 September 2014). "BILL MURRAY AND THE ROLES THAT GOT AWAY". Best Movies by Farr. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Tanya (19 September 2017). "7 Iconic Roles That Were Almost Played By Bill Murray". Throwbacks. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Guerrasio, Jason (19 September 2015). "7 major movies Bill Murray turned down — or just didn't pick up the phone for". Business Insider. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  11. ^ a b c d e "5 Great Movies That Bill Murray Missed Out On". Cinema Blend. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Levy, Pat (21 September 2015). "Bill Murray missed out on some great roles by having a 1-800 number instead of an agent". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i Evans, Bradford (16 February 2012). "The Lost Roles of Bill Murray, Part Two". Vulture.com. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  14. ^ Solomon, Charles (2006-05-07). "Can We Get Bruce Willis for the Raccoon?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
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