Why 20th Century Studios Hesitated To Cast Justin Long In Dodgeball

Rawson Marshall Thurber's "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" lived up to its title when it hit theaters on June 18, 2004. It had been a fairly meh summer up to this point. "Shrek 2" was a smash, and the Alfonso Cuaron-directed "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" was the first truly good and aesthetically distinctive film in that series, but most of the heavy hitters ("Van Helsing," "Troy," and "The Chronicles of Riddick") were, at best, interesting misfires. When word got out from critics that Steven Spielberg would be adding to the disappointment parade with "The Terminal," it looked like a full-on bummer summer was in the offing.

No one was expecting much from a comedy built around a popular playground pastime, but "Dodgeball" was an uproarious slapdash lark that opened to an unexpected $30 million at the domestic box office. Ben Stiller had been a proven commercial commodity since the Farrelly Brothers' surprise 1998 smash "There's Something About Mary," but he was playing a broad villain character here. The movie was basically sold on Vince Vaughn's comedy resurgence (which began with the previous year's "Old School") and Rip Torn growling, "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball," and that was enough to vault it over a Spielberg/Hanks reunion.

"Dodgeball" finished its North American theatrical run with $114 million against a $20 million budget. Moviegoers generally loved it, and it quickly became a cable mainstay. I wouldn't call it a great comedy, but it's very watchable, which is largely due to its grab bag of a supporting cast. Justin Long, as Vaughn's wide-eyed protege, is especially effective. But if 20th Century Fox execs had gotten their way, he would've never stepped foot in front of the camera.

In an appearance on Jesse Tyler Ferguson's Dinner's on Me podcast, Long revealed that the studio was not at all keen on his casting — even though Thurber had written the role specifically for Long because he was a fan of his work on NBC's "Ed." As Long told Ferguson, he felt under pressure from the beginning:

"The character's name was Justin and ... Ben and Vince Vaughn were two of my favorites. I so admired them. They were idols of mine, you know, and so it was such a fantasy and I was really nervous for the table read because I thought 'This part is mine to lose.'"

Long, who I think hit the ground at a full sprint with his very first film appearance in Dean Parisot's 1999 masterpiece "Galaxy Quest," was oddly not Fox's cup of tea. "There was pushback," he said. "They wanted somebody younger because I was way too old to play that part. I was, like I said, 24, 25."

Thurber's instincts were obviously spot on. I'm actually surprised they weren't referring to a part like this as a "Justin Long type" back then. In any event, Fox relented and Thurber got his guy.

I won't go so far as to say that I can't imagine "Dodgeball" without Long; it's just that I can't imagine a single actor from that era playing that character better than him. When studios get it wrong, they really get it wrong. I doubt they'll balk at his casting in the supposedly forthcoming "Dodgeball 2" if his character returns.