Owen Wilson apparently wants to steer clear of any O.J. Simpson film that suggests he’s innocent.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, British director Joshua Newton has been working on a partially finished film called The Juice, formerly known as Nicole and O.J..
The "satirical thriller," which stars Charlotte Kirk as Nicole Brown Simpson and Boris Kodjoe as O.J. Simpson, explores the idea that the late football player might have been innocent (though he was found innocent in real life). The film has been in production since 2015.
The main plotline follows attorney Douglas McCann, who apparently got caught up in conspiracy theories during Simpson’s 1995 trial for the murders of O.J.’s ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend, Ron Goldman, in Los Angeles.
After struggling to find the right actor for the role, Newton approached Wilson about the opportunity.
“Owen Wilson was perfect for the role,” Newton told THR. “I actually had a meeting with him in Santa Monica. Everybody loved the script. His agent wanted him to do it. We offered him $12 million. But at the end of the lunch, Owen stood up and said, ‘If you think I’m going to take the lead role in a movie about how O.J. didn’t do it, you’ve got to be kidding me.’”
The director told the publication that he found another “spot on” actor for the role but didn’t reveal who that would be.
Newton also mentioned that he hopes to wrap production on The Juice by Oct. 3, the 29th anniversary of Simpson’s not-guilty verdict.
O.J. Simpson died on April 10 following a battle with cancer, according to a statement attributed to his family. He was 76 years old.
