Kevin Costner Rejected This Sci-Fi Flop Repeatedly — Then Ended Up Starring in It
Kevin Costner Said No to This Sci-Fi Flop Multiple Times — Then Starred in It Anyway
In early 1993, Kevin Costner was Hollywood royalty. Starting with his breakout in The Untouchables (1987), he delivered hit after hit, blending the charm of a classic American hero with just enough edge to keep audiences hooked. From the gritty charisma of Bull Durham to the sweeping earnestness of Dances with Wolves—which beat Goodfellas for Best Picture—Costner had a formula that worked. Big movies. Big themes. Big success.
After The Bodyguard (1992), he could do no wrong. So when word got out that Costner would team up with Clint Eastwood for A Perfect World, it felt like a match made in Hollywood heaven: the Best Director of 1990 acting for the Best Director of 1992.
But A Perfect World wasn’t a feel-good, high-concept blockbuster. It was a moody, introspective road movie where Costner played a deeply flawed, violent man—a stark contrast to his clean-cut, heroic image. Audiences didn’t show up. They didn’t want to see Costner as a killer.
For a while, neither did he. But as he got older, Costner seemed more willing to explore darker, less heroic roles. Unfortunately, that instinct led him straight into one of the most forgettable flops of his career.
2016’s Criminal — A Role Costner Rejected Repeatedly
Costner had already dabbled in this space with 2007’s Mr. Brooks, a serial killer thriller that, while odd and uneven, gained a small cult following. But 2016’s Criminal was another story entirely.
Directed by Ariel Vromen, Criminal was a sci-fi thriller with a premise straight out of a comic book: a dead CIA agent’s memories (played by Ryan Reynolds) are implanted into a violent convict with brain damage (Costner) in the hopes of completing a critical mission. If that sounds ridiculous, you’re not alone — critics and audiences thought so too.
The film, written by the duo behind The Rock, featured a surprisingly star-studded cast, including Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones, and Gal Gadot. Still, it tanked — earning just $38.8 million globally on a $31.5 million budget. Add marketing costs and terrible reviews, and it’s safe to call Criminal a flop.
And here’s the kicker: Costner didn’t even want to do it.
“I turned it down two or three times,” he later admitted. “I said, ‘I don’t even know why you’d come after me for this.’”
But eventually, something changed.
“When I looked in the mirror, I thought, ‘You’re not in Fandango anymore.’ … I can play this guy. I can play this level of violence.”
Maybe he could — but should he have? Probably not. Costner himself poked fun at the film’s many misfires, including his awkward haircut (“hamburger patty on top,” as he put it). In hindsight, he likely should have listened to his instincts the first time around.
Still, Criminal has mostly faded from memory, making it a less painful flop than something like 3000 Miles to Graceland. But for fans of Costner, it remains one of the few truly baffling career choices in an otherwise iconic run.
