Marlon Brando wanted to be a Star Trek villain but was rejected for a valid reason

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David Carson’s 1994 science fiction film ‘Star Trek: Generations’ came with many stipulations for its screenwriters, Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga. “Generations” was based on the hit television series “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” and there were already tons of fans waiting in the wings, eager to see the adventures of the USS Enterprise-D on the big screen. Despite this, the producers felt that there was still a mass audience who had not seen “NextGen” and who, even in 1994, only associated the franchise with Captain Kirk (William Shatner). Moore and Braga were tasked with concocting some kind of time conceit that would allow Kirk to meet Picard (Patrick Stewart), thus “passing the torch” from one generation to the next.

This was frustrating for Trekkies, because for them the torch had been passed years earlier when “The Next Generation” debuted in 1987. More frustrating was that “Generations” also required a villain at the center of the story, which always felt like a contrivance. Moore and Braga invented Dr. Soran (Malcolm McDowell), a scientist who was destroying stars to influence the gravitational path of a magical paradise-like space ribbon called the Nexus.

However, when “Generations” was still in production, it appears that acting superstar Marlon Brando was briefly circling the role of Soran. Biography of Stephen Galloway in 2017 “Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Pioneer”, tells the story of the famous producer who, when “Generations” was in production, was president of Paramount. In this book… quoted by Den of Geek — “Star Trek” producer Rick Berman recalls receiving calls from Brando and talking to Lansing about his potential involvement in the project. Lansing ultimately turned down Brando because his price was too high.

Although Malcolm McDowell was wonderful as Dr. Soran, when an actor of Brando’s stature expresses interest in your film, you at least listen. Rick Berman probably knew that Brando would bring in a high price for his appearance in “Generations,” but he thought it was something he absolutely had to bring up with the studio head. Berman was skeptical of Brando’s choice, however, because he knew Soren was going to get into fightsand Brando was, in the mid-1990s, not in good fighting shape. However, he remembers talking about it with Sherry Lansing, saying:

“I went to Sherry and said, ‘Marlon Brando wants to play Soren.’ […] But he wanted a huge amount of money. It was several million dollars, way more than she had any interest in paying. This was also at a time when he was quite obese, and it was an action hero type role. My feeling was, “We’re talking about Marlon Brando here!” But Sherry had notable experience in the movie business and said “Brando’s presence wouldn’t justify the expense.”

Indeed, in the mid-1990s, Brando, while respected as a Hollywood legend, was not a giant box office attraction. He had only appeared in two films in the 1980s, “The Formula” in 1980 and “A Dry White Season” in 1989, and neither of them was a runaway success. Indeed, Brando was considered something of a failure in 1994, and Lansing was wise enough to reject him. Berman was of course thrilled at the idea of ​​Brando being associated with “Star Trek,” but Lansing’s call might have been correct. Brando would have overwhelmed the film, making Kirk and Picard seem like supporting players.

We can imagine the difficulty that Rick Berman felt having to call Marlon Brando and reject his offer. But money was money. “Star Trek: Generations” ultimately only had a budget of $35 million, and Brando would have easily added at least another $15 million. “Generations” was a modest success, grossing $118 million at the box office, and it’s hard to imagine it would have grossed much more with Brando as Dr. Soran. Plus, as noted, McDowell was perfectly cromulent in the role, matching Patrick Stewart in class and intensity.

But the question remains: why did Marlon Brando want to star in the seventh “Star Trek” film? Maybe he just wanted to be associated with another crackerjack sci-fi movie franchise, because he had huge appeal Richard Donner’s “Superman” in 1978. Or maybe he was a Trekkie. Unfortunately, Brando hasn’t made any mention of his possible love for “Star Trek.”

Brando would next appear in the hit romance “Don Juan DeMarco” in 1995, alongside Johnny Depp. He and Depp would work together again in Depp’s 1997 directorial debut, “The Brave.” Brando was also in the notoriously troubled (and widely hated) 1996 adaptation of “The Island of Dr. Moreau,” playing a bizarre version of the title doctor. In 1998, Brando appeared in a low-budget Canadian crime thriller called “Free Money,” which was never released in U.S. theaters, and he finished his career starring in Frank Oz’s 2001 heist film, “The Score.” He died in 2004. Unfortunately, no “Star Trek” project ever came along for him. The world will always remain curious as to why “Generations” pinged its radar.