The Fugitive Turns 30 - What Happened to this Movie?

When it comes to adapting a classic TV show to the big screen, it doesn’t get much better than Andrew Davis’ The Fugitive. Indeed, the third highest-grossing film of 1993 proved to be a monumental critical and commercial hit that earned more than $370 million globally and was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. In addition to Tommy Lee Jones winning an Oscar for his indelible supporting turn as U.S. Marshall Sam Gerard, thirty years later the film still boasts some of the most impressive action set pieces and stunning practical FX on record. The movie succeeds on multiple levels as a riveting manhunt thriller, an engrossing murder mystery, a compelling redemption story, an FX-driven action-adventure, and of course, a faithful TV adaptation that both honors the spirit of the original and also pushes the narrative forward into daring, unpredictable territory. Yet, for as nearly perfect a film as The Fugitive remains to this day, you would never guess that the production actually had a slew of hurdles, injuries, cast and crew replacements, and other major mishaps to overcome.

For instance, did you know that the original cinematographer was fired one week into the production? Or the fact that the movie’s villain, Dr. Charles Nichols, was actually played by a different actor before being replaced after falling ill due to a brain tumor? Or how about the on-set injuries Harrison Ford suffered while making the film on location in Chicago and North Carolina? Well, as the landmark action-packed crime drama celebrates its 30th anniversary this August, we’re about to dive into all of the little-known facts about the production and figure out just WTF Happened to The Fugitive!