The movie Michael Douglas will always be grateful he never made: “I wanted out”
It’s hard to look at a career like that of Michael Douglas and think about what could have been.
However, like every superstar, he missed out on just as many prime roles as he got. He might have had a part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, but ended up producing the goddamn classic instead.
He was one of many stars considered for the lead role in Rob Reiner’s Misery and turned down the character that was ultimately played by Mandy Patinkin in Yentl. We missed out on a Douglas-Streisand hook-up. Why is life so cruel?
There’s another example of Kirk’s son failing to land a gig, only this one was probably for the better. Douglas was initially cast as William Shaw in Renny Harlin’s 1995 swashbuckling adventure Cutthroat Island. He was to star opposite Geena Davis (Harlin’s wife at the time) in this all-out pirate adventure on the high seas. Douglas and Davis made quite the formidable partnership, but backstage forces conspired to tear them apart.
According to The New York Times, the leading man quickly realised that he was aboard a sinking ship. He had initially agreed to star in the film on the proviso that he be given as much screen time as Davis. When it became apparent that he wasn’t going to be the main focus, he took his ball and went home.
“I just was not comfortable with the part,” Douglas revealed. “The combination of not seeing it on the page and not knowing where it would go. I was feeling uncomfortable, and I wanted out.”
An unnamed executive also commented on the situation. “We spent money like crazy, and it was being rewritten like crazy,” they said. “It was becoming Renny’s film for Geena. Michael got upset when he realised what was happening. But I don’t fault him. It was an impossible situation.”
The star was able to get out of the film, which set off a disastrous chain reaction. The search for a new actor meant that Harlin wasn’t involved in many of the key backstage decisions. Russell Crowe, Liam Neeson, Tom Cruise, and more all rejected the part before future Stranger Things star Matthew Modine was finally brought in. Modine had some name value, but when you look at who could have replaced Douglas, you have to consider his appointment underwhelming.
Unfortunately, all of this chaos led to Cutthroat Island becoming one of the biggest flops of all time. The film lost almost $150million and was almost single-handedly responsible for Carolco Pictures shutting down. Davis’ run of box office success came to a screeching halt, while pirate movies in general became a no-go zone until the Pirates of the Caribbean series revitalised the genre.
Douglas wasn’t the only major name to miss out on Cutthroat Island, but he was by far and away the most important. There’s no telling whether or not his involvement would have saved the movie, but when you put him up against Modine, who had almost no star power at the time, you have to wonder if his name on the poster would have shifted a few more tickets.
