The original casting for Mark Wahlberg’s shooter would have made it a completely different movie

The original actor is included Shooter would have resulted in a very different film than the 2007 Mark Wahlberg flick. Since transitioning from rapper to actor, Wahlberg has appeared in everything from wacky family comedies to sci-fi blockbusters and intense dramas. Still, Mark Wahlberg action movies are a genre unto themselves and have given the star some of his biggest hits. This includes Four brothersHis two Transformers Outings and 2007s Shooterwhich became a streaming hit on Netflix.

The thriller was based on the novel Point of impact by author Stephen Hunter and cast Wahlberg as Bob Lee Swagger, a retired Marine sniper. After being framed for an assassination, Swagger goes on the run to clear his name; This involves many gun and car chases as well. The Antoine Fuqua movie was a modest success upon release and later spawned a television series starring Ryan Phillippe.

Tommy Lee Jones was set to play the lead in Shooter

Shooter spent many years in development hell

According to the Los Angeles Times, Shooter Spent a solid 12 years in development before it became the Walhberg movie. This involved paring the novel down to movie size, with writers like the legendary William Goldman (The Princess Bride) or John Lee Hancock (The founder) trying to crack it. for this, The late, great William Friedkin was set to direct Shooter With Tommy Lee Jones playing Swagger. A delay in the adaptation has the duo moving into 2003s The hunted Instead.

The film would have been a bigger success, Friedkin said IGN of his plans to retrofit Shooter In a potential sequel. That didn’t come, with The hunted Only Grossing $46 million worldwide on an estimated $55 million production budget (via Box Office Mojo). The hunted Himself could be described as First blood Meets The fugitiveWith Jones again playing the pursuer of a soldier he trained (played by Benicio del Toro) who goes on a killing spree. The difference is that Jones’ Bonham is the complete opposite of his Sam Gerard character in The Fugitive.

It is also difficult to picture Jones in these Shooter Movie that was made. apparently, Friedkin envisioned a more cerebral, less action-intensive take on the material, with Jones’ Swagger being a more internal, anti-social figure.. In short, it’s a completely different movie, but considering that Friedkin directed The French Connection And To live and die in LAIt sounds like it could have been something special.

Jones channeled his take on Shooter’s swagger into the hunt

The Hunted is as close to Tommy Lee Jones’ shooter as the world will ever get

Friedkin noted in the aforementioned IGN Chat that Jones recycled his planned image of swagger for The hunted. Although his character Bonham is shown to be a skilled killer with incredible hunting skills, he is also incredibly uncomfortable in regular society. This is best seen after del Toro’s character is (briefly) captured, where Bonham can barely look Connie Nielsen’s FBI agent in the eye or form coherent sentences as she attempts small talk.

That would make sense since Both Shooter S brother-in-law and The Hunted’s Bonham spent years isolating himself from society and avoiding his past. Wahlberg’s take on Swagger is still surprisingly talkative for all his years of hiding and paranoid tendencies. Of course, Jones’ name would be more alienating to a mainstream audience, so a studio might have insisted that the character be less of an introvert if the film went into production.

Tommy Lee Jones made more sense to play the shooter’s lead over Mark Wahlberg

Readers of the Bob Lee Swagger series are not pictured Mark Wahlberg

Wahlberg was in his late 30s when he signed up ShooterBut in Point of impactSwagger is a Vietnam vet who is approaching 50 in old age. That’s why many of the casting suggestions for the adaptation involved actors like Robert Redford or Clint Eastwood, with Swagger’s Vietnam backstory featuring heavily in the narrative. Tommy Lee Jones was also born in 1946, making him the same age as Swagger in the novels, and he would have been nearing 60 if the Friedkin version of Shooter is going forward.

It is interesting to do that in Spanning five years, the project went from a veteran star like Jones to a younger actor like Wahlberg. By all accounts, it was Wahlberg’s pursuit of the project that saw it get a green light, while most of the book’s subplots were dumped to streamline the script. It would also make building a Bob Lee Swagger franchise easier, as Wahlberg’s age would give the studio more of a window to develop a following.

Granted Shooter S Renewed success on Netflix, it would be ironic if a follow-up happened in Wahlberg’s age. In fact, the star would be the perfect age to sport a more by-the-book swagger. with The Union And UnchartedWahlberg hasn’t slowed down when it comes to more physical roles. It appears Shooter There wasn’t enough success in 2007 to move forward with a sequel, but a straight-to-streaming follow-up now would be sure to generate interest.

The shooting of Tommy Lee Jones would invalidate his fugitive casting

It would have been more fun than US anyway. it. Marshals

The movie that made Tommy Lee Jones a true movie star was The fugitiveWith his unforgettable turn as the determined US it. Marshall Sam Gerard earning him an Academy Award. His performance was so compelling it was decided to spin off his character with US MarshalsWhere Sam and his team chase a new fugitive played by Wesley Snipes. Unfortunately, this pseudo-sequel is something of a bore that was bad when compared to The fugitivewith co-stars Robert Downey Jr. dubbing US Marshals “The worst action movie ever made.”

What would have been cool about the Tommy Lee Jones version of Shooter Is it would be flip Fugitive Casting completely. It would be Be character on the run, and forced to clear his name by revealing a conspiracy. That may have been why he approached the project as well. Although it may be Friedkin’s rough design, It’s hard to see how Jones is Hunted Character would work in a Shooter Sequel. For one, the 2003 film makes no mention of Bonham being a sniper, let alone one of the best in the world.

Bonham is depicted as a knife fighter and survival expert, but never even holds a gun over The hunted. It would have taken a sizable recon to merge Swagger’s story with Bonham’s, so if the director and stars had worked on shot, It probably would have no connections with The hunted. The latter’s case disappointment undoubtedly killed plans for Friedkin Shooter And the world was denied a Fugitive Riff with Tommy Lee Jones on the run.

Source: The Los Angeles Times, IGN, Box Office Mojo