Tombstone is frequently cited as one of the best Westerns of the 1990s, but I would have loved to have seen the alternate version with the movie’s original choice to play Val Kilmer’s character, Doc Holliday. The film takes place in the American Wild West and follows a successful lawman’s attempts to retire from his profession in Tombstone Arizona, but his plans quickly fall apart when a group of cowboys force him to take justice into his own hands.
The film was hugely successful at the time, with many audiences crediting Cosmatos’ film for reviving the Western genre and causing the huge boost in popularity that it saw throughout the ‘90s. Doc Holiday’s story was finally immortalized on-screen in all the glory and drama that it deserved, but what many audiences may not have realized at the time was that one member of Tombstone’s ensemble cast was almost missing, which could have changed the film entirely.
Willem Dafoe As Tombstone’s Doc Holliday Sounds Kind Of Intriguing
The Character Would Have Been Completely Different
In the early days of Tombstone’s production, Willem Dafoe was cast as Doc Holiday – the role that ultimately went to Val Kilmer. The actor was rejected by the studios because he wasn’t seen as enough of a box office draw: his name wasn’t as big as it is today, and Tombstone’s disastrous production meant that nobody’s position in the film was really secure. Kilmer was also seen as more of a conventionally attractive leading man, which spurred producers to cast him instead.
However, despite being a fan of the film, I’m intrigued by how Willem Dafoe’s take on Doc Holiday could have changed the movie. His performance would have been radically different, likely bringing a much more menacing and uncomfortable aura to the character that would have been fascinating to watch. Westerns are one of the very few genres that Dafoe hasn’t been too involved with in the past, so Tombstone could have been a great stepping stone for him to try something new.
Val Kilmer Was The Right Choice For Tombstone’s Doc Holliday In The End
The Actor Was Among The Film’s Biggest Highlights
However, Val Kilmer ultimately provided himself as the right choice with his performance in Tombstone. Alongside Kurt Russell’s protagonist, he steals the spotlight in countless scenes with his gripping and atypical performance as Doc Holiday. It’s one of the actor’s most surprising roles, as it was unlike any project he’d taken on in the past – it allowed us to see him in a completely different light, which surely contributed to his successful rise through the ‘90s.
The film became hugely successful, solidifying itself as one of the best Westerns of its time, and revitalizing the genre for a new generation.
From a commercial standpoint, the studio was likely right about Kilmer being more of a box office draw for Tombstone – and it paid off. The film became hugely successful, solidifying itself as one of the best Westerns of its time, and revitalizing the genre for a new generation. Without the huge names that were attached to the projects, it’s uncertain whether this would have been possible.