David Tennant, Matt Smith, Tom Baker — these are the famous names that have become synonymous with BBC's popular sci-fi series, Doctor Who. Improbably, another well-known figure could have been added to this list: Michael Jackson.
In the late 1980s, the King of Pop was Paramount Pictures' top pick for the lead role in a Doctor Who movie. What's more, if Jackson wasn't available, Bill Cosby was the studio's second pick to play the alien time traveler.
While both casting choices may seem odd now, they were not actually that outlandish, as Jackson was at the height of his fame, and just coming off the success of American anthology film, Moonwalker. For his part, Cosby was dominating television with The Cosby Show.
These revelations come thanks to a new book, Charles Norton's Now On The Big Screen: Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Doctor Who at the Cinema, that describe multiple failed attempts to make a film about the Time Lord, according to The Times
Last month, BBC announced that Smith, who played the Eleventh Doctor, will leave the show at the end of this year. The actor, along with fan favorites Tennant (the Tenth Doctor) and companion Billie Piper are slated to appear in Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special on Nov. 23.
The show just completed part 2 of season seven in May.
[via The Guardian]
Image courtesy of BBC America
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