Phoenix wasn’t thrilled about playing a geek, Dante recalled. Phoenix, who died from a drug overdose in 1993, was about 13 years old when he landed his first-ever film role in “Explorers.” He played glasses-wearing nerd Wolfgang, but originally auditioned for Darren, a salt-of-the-earth type role that was ultimately given to Jason Presson.Īlso Read: 'Top Gun': A Short History of the Volleyball Scene (Photos) River Phoenix didn’t want to play the nerd. But he still recalled some details about the underrated “Explorers”:ġ. “They ruined it by releasing it before it was finished, then didn’t support it with advertising - so it bombed and they lost a fortune,” the director recalled.ĭante, who also directed the 1981 horror movie “The Howling” and 1987’s “Inner Space,” is receiving the inaugural Sierra Spirit Award at Mammoth Lake Film Festival this week, held outside L.A. “It’s not a movie I revisit much,” the director told TheWrap during a recent interview, citing the film’s bad reviews and abysmal box office performance.Īlso Read: 9 Things You Probably Didn't Know About 'Thelma & Louise' The family sci-fi film is still beloved by a dedicated, albeit small, group of fans - those who may find it hard to believe that the cult film remains a sore spot with director Joe Dante. The film is about a group of three boys drawn into deep space by media-loving aliens. For the children who watched in darkened theaters as Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix flew through space in a tricked out Tilt-A-Whirl carriage, the 1985 coming-of-age adventure “Explorers” was a defining moviegoing experience.
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