<img src="https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&amp;c2=36750692&amp;cv=3.6.0&amp;cj=1"> ‘Men in Black’ Director Sabotaged Chris O’Donnell In Favor of Will Smith
Something went wrong. Try again, or if the problem persists.
Your details are incorrect, or aren't in our system yet. Please try again, or sign up if you're new here.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google and of Service apply.
Create a GAMURS
By g up, you agree to our and of Service.
Something went wrong. Try again, or if the problem persists.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google and of Service apply.
Choose a name
Choose a unique name using 3-30 alphanumeric characters.
Something went wrong. Try again, or if the problem persists.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google and of Service apply.
Choose your preferences
Choose how we communicate with you, opt out at anytime.
Something went wrong. Try again, or if the problem persists.
Check your email
An confirmation link was sent to your email. Don't forget to check your spam!
Enter the email address you used when you ed and we'll send you instructions to reset your .
If you used Apple or Google to create your , this process will create a for your existing .
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google and of Service apply.
Reset instructions sent. If you have an with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or if the problem persists.
via Universal/Warner Bros.

‘Men in Black’ director deliberately sabotaged Chris O’Donnell so Will Smith could star

O'Donnell as Agent J? It would have been a very different movie.

Believe it or not, it’s been a quarter of a century since Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones first partnered up to save our planet from the scum of the universe in Men in Black, with the classic blockbuster remaining every bit as entertaining and rewatchable now as it was back in the summer of 1997.

Recommended Videos

The sci-fi spectacular marked Smith’s third consecutive box office smash after 1995’s Bad Boys and the following year’s Independence Day, cementing his transition from sitcom favorite to A-list superstar. However, things could have been very different, with Batman Forever‘s Chris O’Donnell emerging as the studio’s top candidate to play Agent J.

Director Barry Sonnenfeld revealed in a retrospective interview with Insider that he deliberately under-sold the project to the actor, because Smith had always been his preferred choice to lead the project.

“I had suggested Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. Will was actually my wife’s idea. I met with Chris and he had concerns about the script and had another movie offer. So I told him, ‘Yeah, we might never fix this script and I don’t think I know how to direct this movie.’ So he ed on the movie the next day. I think he’s a good actor, but I had really been thinking about Will since my wife made the suggestion.”

men in black

It wouldn’t be unfair to say the pair enjoyed very different career trajectories as the new millennium dawned, but it’s hard to gauge whether or not Men in Black would have been anywhere near the monster-sized hit that it was with O’Donnell opposite Jones’ grizzled Agent K, given that the chemistry between the pair we ended up with was nothing short of phenomenal.


We Got This Covered is ed by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small commission. Learn more about our Policy
Author
Image of Scott Campbell
Scott Campbell
News, reviews, interviews. To paraphrase Keanu Reeves: Words. Lots of words.