The iconic thriller Phone Booth, starring Colin Farrell, is marking its 20th anniversary this Tuesday. However, the film could have been released as early as the 1960s, as screenwriter Larry Cohen had initially pitched the idea of a man trapped inside a phone booth to Alfred Hitchcock. Despite not being able to solve the conundrum of why the man couldn’t leave until the late 1990s, Hollywood was immediately hooked when Cohen came up with the idea of having a sniper hold the man hostage.
The screenplay attracted interest from top-notch filmmakers and actors such as Steven Spielberg, Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, and Will Smith. Farrell revealed that he had several meetings with Jim Carrey, who was initially going to take the lead role. However, Carrey later dropped out due to feeling uncomfortable with the character.
The role then fell to Farrell, who had just starred in Tigerland and was gaining heat in the industry. Farrell played Stuart Shepherd, an arrogant publicist who cheats on his wife and picks up a call in a New York City phone booth to hear a sniper (Kiefer Sutherland) on the other end, demanding he confess to his affair and threatening his life.
