Arnold Schwarzenegger is famous for his role in Terminator, but he would have played another iconic one had he not refused to star in the Harrison Ford-led film Air Force One (1997). It was written with Kevin Costner in mind, but the actor did not like the script. The team offered the part to Tom Hanks and Schwarzenegger, but it eventually went to Ford.
While the world knows Ford for his roles in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, the actor’s appearance in Air Force One created a spark in his career. The one-off film painted Ford’s movie star image in Hollywood.
Harrison Ford Talks About His Role As The US President In Air Force One
In his interview with PEOPLE, Harrison Ford revealed his role as United States President James Marshall is one of the most memorable works he has done. He also quotes the film in his everyday life as someone who has a license to fly:
“Because I fly, I probably say why more than I need to, ‘Get off my plane!’”
The actor also clarified that the character he portrayed in Air Force One was not based on former President Bill Clinton, as many assumed. Appearing in a 1997 interview via The Bobbie Wygant Archive, he explained:
“People have often asked me whether or not I based this character on the president, President Clinton, and the answer is no. I’ve made this president up out of the things that will help the story and given no reference to any president living or dead.”
Still, Ford shared that he asked the former president to give him a tour of Air Force One. He also shared his first impression of the plane:
“I asked the president if he would help us get a tour of Air Force One, and I got an affirmative. It’s awfully big, it’s awfully sophisticated, the communications equipment especially is fantastic, but other than that, it’s a regular airplane. The workmanship is very nice, it’s fit for a president for sure.”
Air Force One received two Academy Award nominations for Best Sound and Best Film Editing, and it also earned over $315.2 million worldwide, ranking as the fifth highest-grossing film of 1997.
Will There Be A Sequel To Air Force One?
Because of the movie’s success, there have been talks of a sequel or reboot thrown around. To get a confirmation on this, SYFY WIRE spoke with writer Andrew W. Marlowe. He shared some ideas that the team has been planning to incorporate in case a sequel gets the green light:
“Harrison as president goes someplace, he’s on an Air Force carrier, it’s attacked, he’s in the middle of an unstable geopolitical situation. And so, there are things he can and can’t do, because you don’t want to inflame it. He’s got to navigate it and, he’s the person at the heart of it.”
Speaking of a potential reboot, Marlowe reveals they are still trying to figure it out:
“People have talked about it, people are still talking about it. I think we’re in a period of time when, if you’ve had something that’s extraordinarily successful, people want to see if they can mine that IP. But again, I think our bar is, ‘Are we saying something new? Are we saying something relevant to the culture now?’ We don’t want to do something that’s just exploitative storytelling, we want to do something that feels like it has a purpose in the world.”
Only time will tell when fans get to see Harrison Ford as US President James Marshall again, but until then, Air Force One is available to stream on Peacock TV.
Sources: People, The Bobbie Wygant Archive, SYFY WIRE
