Owen Wilson, OJ Simpson
Tommaso Boddi; Jason Bean Pool/Getty Images(2)Owen Wilson He reportedly turned down a lucrative eight-figure deal to star in a film about it OJ Simpson‘s potential innocence.
According to the director Joshua Newtonwho is working on a satirical film about Simpson called The juice Since 2015, Wilson, 55, has been asked to play a real lawyer Douglas McCann — who delved into conspiracy theories about Simpson during the former football star’s 1995 murder trial — in the film.
“Owen Wilson was perfect for the role,” Newton said The Hollywood Reporter in a story published on Wednesday, April 24. “I actually had a meeting with him in Santa Monica. Everyone loved the script. His agent wanted him to do it. We offered him $12 million.”
However, once the offer was on the table, Wilson made his intentions very clear.
Newton continued, “At the end of lunch, Owen stood up and said, ‘If you think I’m going to star in a movie about how OJ didn’t do it, you’ve got to be kidding me.'”
With Wilson out of the running, Newton said he found another actor who was “just right” for the role. However, he did not want to name any names.
Whoever secured the role of McCann will take part Ward 19 star Boris Kodjoewho plays Simpson, and actress Charlotte Kirkwho plays his ex-wife Nicole Brown.
Newton said about 30 minutes of the film have already been completed, a snippet of which can be seen in a teaser released on Tuesday, April 23.
In the clip, Kodjoe can be seen tied to an electric chair, sparks shooting from the sides of his head and smoke billowing from his mouth.
“Think about the real orange juice drink,” Kodjoe says, stuttering. “Not that lost person.”
The teaser ends with a title card that reads: “Feeling better now? You haven’t seen anything yet.”
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Originally titled Nicole & OJ, the film has been in development for years. In 2018 People released the first photos of Kodjoe and Kirk as Simpson and Brown, respectively.
“Boris is the same height as OJ, very tall, very athletic in appearance,” producer Stephen Small told the outlet at the time. “He’s changed, his voice has changed, he sounds pretty amazing.”
Newton hopes to complete the film by the end of this year and aim for a 2025 release date.
Simpson died of prostate cancer on April 10. He was 76 years old.
In October 1995, Simpson was acquitted of the murders of Brown and Goldman. The Brown and Goldman families subsequently filed a civil lawsuit that ultimately found Simpson liable. Simpson was ordered to pay $33.5 million to the families, almost all of which was unpaid at the time of his death.