Will Smith and Clint Eastwood Almost Starred Together In One of the Greatest Movies Ever Made

Veteran star Clint Eastwood was once attached to the 1997 film Men in Black as per studio demand but the director wanted Tommy Lee Jones!

Will Smith and Clint Eastwood would have almost starred together in one of the greatest movies ever made.

According to director Barry Sonnenfield (who directed Men in Black in 1997), he wanted Tommy Lee Jones, but the studio really wanted veteran director/actor Clint Eastwood.

Starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in leading roles, Men in Black was a revolutionary movie that changed how we view alien movies.

Ditching the norm for a comedy movie with a secret society of people monitoring aliens, the movie was one of the best movies of all time and became better because of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones.

When Men in Black Almost Starred Will Smith and Clint Eastwood

The chemistry of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones was praised since Agent J didn’t really respect Agent K at times, and was a brash young kid whom Agent K recognized during their initial meeting.

However, it seems that the same chemistry couldn’t have been possible with Clint Eastwood.

The Men in Black franchise could have almost starred Clint Eastwood | Credits: Columbia Pictures.

During his talks with Inverse, the director stated that he had been vying and pitching to the studios to hire Tommy Lee Jones for the role of Agent K for a long time.

However, the studio was quite adamant about hiring Clint Eastwood for the role.

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.

Although Clint Eastwood’s movies weren’t picked up to be included in the NY Times Top 100 movies, the actor-turned-director had built up quite a reputation over the years.

However, considering this said reputation, we don’t think that Clint Eastwood would have been a good Agent K.

Not that we are doubting the veteran actor’s skills, but he wouldn’t have been able to bring in that fun element as good as Tommy Lee Jones.

Why We Think Clint Eastwood Wouldn’t Have Been a Good Fit for Men in Black

Starring in movies like Gran Torino and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, and directing iconic movies like American Sniper and Sully, Clint Eastwood was an actor who turned to directing, and the world loves his movies to this day.

Clint Eastwood in a still from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly | Credits: United Artists.

With the entire story set in New York City, it seemed quite a different setting than what Clint Eastwood is usually accustomed to in his movies.

Eastwood’s movies often feature remote places and towns with not a lot of people present.

On the other hand, there were a ton of things happening in Men in Black with aliens and humans living together.

Although Eastwood has starred in some comedic movies back in the day, the actor is mainly known for his action and Western roles.

Naturally, seeing Clint Eastwood do comedy alongside Will Smith would be a little… weird to see.

Plus, Eastwood seems like a man who is uptight with his morals and principles.

Therefore, we do not think that he would have had good chemistry with Will Smith’s Agent J, who was just like a little kid (which the script demanded).

Of course, his scenes with Tommy Lee Jones and their funny banter were a very nice touch in the original movies, and that is why the Men in Black franchise became one of the best franchises of all time.

Do you think Clint Eastwood would have been a good fit for Men in Black? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

The Men in Black franchise is available to stream on Starz (USA).