With special appearances in both Zombieland and its sequel, Zombieland: Double Tap, Ghostbusters star Bill Murray has shined with his presence in the horror-comedy movies. In the original film, released by director Ruben Fleischer in 2009, Murray had a highly memorable cameo as himself when a group of zombie apocalypse survivors took shelter in his home. Though he was inadvertently killed by one of them due to a prank gone wrong, Murray returned in the 2019 sequel for a mid-credit scene set at the start of the outbreak with zombies interrupting a Garfield 3 press interview.

At this point, fans of the films will have a hard time imagining another celebrity to have filled this spot, but Murray was not the original plan. Previously, it’s been reported that Patrick Swayze was one person who was considered, but he was unable to accept due to his declining health. Some other celebrity names that were reportedly under consideration include Sylvester Stallone, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mark Hamill, The Rock, and Kevin Bacon, among others.

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Now, with a post on Twitter, Zombieland co-writer Rhett Reese has stated that Home Alone actor Joe Pesci was also approached for the part, though he’s said to have turned it down as it didn’t pay well enough.

“We wanted Joe Pesci for what turned out to Bill Murray’s role in Zombieland,” Reese explained. “We warned Pesci’s agent it was a small part. He said, ‘There are no small parts, only small money.’ It was a no.”

Joe Pesci Will Star in a Peacock Series

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While money may have been the biggest issue, Pesci may have also been hesitant to appear in the movie, as he’s only been acting sporadically over the past decade. Since 2010’s Love Ranch, he has only appeared in 2019’s The Irishman, though he did voiceover work for A Warrior’s Tail in 2016.

While he had been essentially retired, it’s been recently revealed that Pesci will star in the upcoming Peacock comedy series Bupkis. It’s the first series regular role for Pesci since 1985 when he starred in the short-lived show Half Nelson. The only other TV show he’s acted in would be for a single episode of Tales from the Crypt, though he hosted an episode of SNL in 1992.