Clint Eastwood Almost Starred In A Will Smith Sci-Fi Box Office Hit

It's not easy to make a name for yourself in the world of film and television, especially when everyone else is trying to do the same thing. Some talent, whether they be actors, writers, or filmmakers, get lucky in their first few projects, while others won't get to see the fruits of their industry labor until much further down the line. Clint Eastwood technically made his big screen debut in 1955 in an uncredited role in "Revenge of the Creature," yet kept finding himself in bit parts over the next few years. Even "Rawhide," the television western career gig that got his foot in the door, would take up seven and a half years of his life on CBS. But not only would the experience of starring in those eight seasons serve as a testing ground as for his directorial sensibilities, it would also prompt him to travel to Spain, where Eastwood would become one of cinema's most recognizable figures.

Once Sergio Leone's "Dollars" trilogy made its way to the United States in the mid-'60s, Eastwood's true potential was revealed to the world in a star-making role for the ages as the MGM-marketed "Man With No Name." In the following decades, the Western star would break free from his ramrod constraints and become a constant fixture both in front of and behind the camera. Warner Bros. Discovery sabotaged his 40th directorial feature "Juror #2" and it still did great because he remains at the top of his game at 94 years old.

Eastwood has been a part of all sorts of genre work, from psychological thrillers ("Play Misty For Me") to Best Picture-winning revisionist Westerns ("Unforgiven") and everything in between. He can be a bit of a stickler in terms of being in control of what projects he involves himself in, with most of them being produced under the banner of his own production company. Once Eastwood got Malpaso Productions up and running, there were only two projects he appeared in that weren't produced under his watch: Wolfgang Petersen's exceptional 1993 political thriller "In the Line of Fire," and 1995's "Casper," in which he had a very small cameo.

It's fun to think about all of the "what if" scenarios he could have found himself in over the years. Eastwood was once considered for Don Murray's role in the 1956 Marilyn Monroe not-quite-musical dramedy "Bus Stop," but even more interestingly, there was once a possibility of Eastwood starring opposite Will Smith in the 1997 sci-fi action comedy "Men in Black."

It speaks to the legacy of "Men in Black" that the film still holds strong as an incredible adaptation of the Lowell Cunningham and Sandy Carruthers comic book series, in addition to one of the most creative blockbusters of the '90s, period. It featured a murderer's row of talent, with "Bill & Ted" screenwriter Ed Solomon, composer Danny Elfman, production designer Bo Welch, Vincent D'Onofrio in an elastic villain performance, and the incredible team at ILM revealing a world of extraterrestrials hiding in plain sight, not to mention the two movie stars that sold the whole enterprise.

'90s superstar Will Smith was already coming off the one-two box office punch of "Bad Boys" and "Independence Day," which made him the perfect choice to play Agent J, the rookie. Alongside the more experienced Agent K, he would be taught the ropes of the titular secret organization tasked with protecting the planet from alien threats. The role of the humorless mentor figure would involve some contention before Academy Award-winner Tommy Lee Jones nabbed it, as the studio executives initially wanted Eastwood. Director Barry Sonnenfeld, however, didn't see him as a good fit and fought hard to get Jones for Agent K (via Inverse):

"The studio really wanted Clint Eastwood. It was me who asked for Tommy, and then I almost got screwed — they couldn't hire me because Tommy had director approval. Tommy gave me approval."

If we're taking a peek into an alternate world, it's easy to see where Columbia was coming from. Eastwood, by this point, had not only played a seasoned cop in the "Dirty Harry" movies, but had also starred opposite Jeff Bridges in "Thunderbolt & Lightfoot," as well as Charlie Sheen in the buddy action movie "The Rookie," even though that film was considered a low point in his career. He possessed a certain gruff that, on paper, would have made him a viable candidate as one half of the alien-busting odd couple. But as we've previously discussed, Eastwood is a man who likes to be in charge, and there's no way he'd have enough authority over his role here for his liking.

Sonnenfeld fighting for Jones was the right decision, as the actor's gruff yet affectionate chemistry with Smith was undeniable. The two were a once-in-a-lifetime magic pairing that withstood the brunt of the franchise's diminishing sequels. They were the epitome of cool on every movie poster, and that image alone secured its fate, ensuring the film's status as a smash hit at the 1997 summer box office, raking in $589.4 million on a $90 million budget.