The abandoned Tom Cruise action comedy that failed to lure Jack Nicholson out of retirement
Having become accustomed to getting pretty much whatever he wants as one of the biggest stars in the business for decades, Tom Cruise would have been supremely confident he was the silver-tongued devil with the potential to coax Jack Nicholson out of retirement and back onto the big screen.
The two had generated plenty of sparks together when they traded courtroom barbs in Rob Reiner’s military thriller A Few Good Men, but Nicholson gradually phased himself out of the spotlight after spending the majority of his final years focusing on more light-hearted fare.
Five of his last six credits were comedies, with Martin Scorsese’s ‘Best Picture’ winner The Departed the sole outlier among About Schmidt, Anger Management, Something’s Gotta Give, The Bucket List, and How Do You Know, the latter of which stands as the iconic performer’s final contribution to the world of cinema.
However, despite many people finding it incredibly difficult to say no when Cruise comes calling, El Presidente simply didn’t tickle his fancy. The high-concept action comedy had a winning premise, and the role Nicholson was being courted for presented ample opportunity for the sort of scenery-chewing he’d turned into an art form with his signature wild-eyed mania.
Cruise would have played a Secret Service agent tasked to protect the former president widely regarded as the worst in the country’s history, with the three-time Academy Award winner wanted for the part of a booze-soaked and womanising sleazeball who only ended up in the White House when the current incumbent died during his time as vice president. When a threat against his life emerges, the two are forced to partner up and go on the run.
The Bourne Identity‘s Doug Liman was on board to direct, with the screenplay hailing from In the Loop scribe and Succession creator Jesse Armstrong, Parks and Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine executive producer Dan Goor, and Donnie Brasco scribe Paul Attanasio, which is a mouth-watering array of talent to put it lightly.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cruise and Liman went directly to the source by visiting Nicholson’s house in an attempt to convince him that El Presidente was worth his while. The Mission: Impossible frontman even insisted that he wouldn’t make the movie without his former co-star, and he ended up remaining true to his word.
When Nicholson decided that he was quite happy sitting at home, everything went completely quiet. El Presidente never happened in any way, shape, or form, so Cruise must have been telling the truth when he pleaded with the legendary star that it was either going to happen with him or not happen at all. It would appear he went down without putting up much of a fight, too, so in a fitting role reversal from their first time working together, the A-lister was quite capable of handling the truth this time around.
