In the 1980s, Judge Reinhold was destined for great success in the film industry, but everything changed in an instant.
Reinhold had an opportunity to play a major role in “Vice Versa” following his roles in Eddie Murphy’s “Beverly Hills Cop” films and the memorable “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” film. However, as he revealed in a recent Vanity Fair profile, the film was ruined by an “executive murder plot,” which also almost ended his career.
The body-swap film “Vice Versa” had Reinhold in the lead role and Fred Savage as his son. Although the actor had been in several popular films before this one, which was released in 1988, the film did not do well.
The producer of “Chariots of Fire,” David Puttnam, was appointed CEO of Columbia Pictures in 1986, and according to him, “he wanted to bring the price of lead actors down, but make the backend profits real.”
Reinhold had faith in his theories, but due to what he dubbed a “executive murder plot” by industry insiders, “he wasn’t, unfortunately, around long enough to prove that formula.”
