1988 had been a transitional year for Tom Selleck. The year began with Three Men And A Baby, his first Touchstone project, sitting comfortably at the top of the box office, well on its way to becoming the highest grossing movie of 1987. In May, he took his final spin around Hawaii in his Ferrari as Magnum, P.I. aired its series finale after eight seasons. The show wasn’t the ratings powerhouse it once was but that was okay. The movies beckoned.
Selleck’s post-Magnum movie career didn’t get off to a great start. Her Alibi, a disastrous romantic comedy-mystery costarring Paulina Porizkova, landed with a thud when it was released on February 3, 1989. For his follow-up, Selleck switched gears entirely, returning to Touchstone for the prison drama An Innocent Man.
The project began as a screenplay called Hard Rain, written by Larry Brothers. In his earlier years, Brothers had struggled with substance abuse and was in and out of prison himself. Hard Rain was inspired by his own experiences. The film was set up with Carroll Ballard of Never Cry Wolf fame attached to direct.
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