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Tom Hanks Was Offered William Shatner’s Spot on Space Flight, but Wouldn’t Pay $28M

How much would you pay to claim the honor of being the first civilian to fly to space on a private rocket? Sure, you can’t put a price on certain experiences, but according to Tom Hanks, Blue Origin boss Jeff Bezos did with him – and it was a very steep one.
Tom Hanks says he was first choice for Blue Origin flight, refused because of the $28 million ticket price 8 photos
Photo: YouTube / Jimmy Kimmel
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After Bezos launched himself to the edge of space on the Blue Origin New Shepard rocket earlier this year, space tourism was (more or less) launched. The next flight out had among guests none other than actor William Shatner, Captain James T. Kirk from the Star Trek original series himself. Shatner became the oldest man to fly to space, and he called the experience better than anything he’d ever done.

According to Tom Hanks, Shatner could have missed out on it if he’d been willing to part with some $28 million, which is how much Bezos wanted to charge him (Hanks) for the honor of flying to space. Hanks is now promoting a new movie, so he stopped by Jimmy Kimmel to talk about it, and share some personal anecdotes as well. This one was among them.

Starting at the 5.27-minute mark in the video below, you will hear Hanks saying that Bezos wanted him for the flight, instead of Shatner. “Provided I pay,” he adds, saying that the asking price was of $28 million. Now, Hanks continues, he would occasionally indulge in a 12-minute experience to the edge of space free of cost, just so he could pretend he’s a billionaire, but that’s not the kind of money he’s willing to spend for what he ultimately believes is a pretend space flight.

“You know what, we could simulate the experience of going to space right here. It's about a 12-minute flight… is that about it?” he says, starting to enact the experience right there in his seat. “I don't need to spend 28 million bucks to do that.”

Someone did, since demand for Blue Origin tickets is through the roof. It wasn’t Shatner, though: Blue Origin said he was featured as “guest” on the flight, so he wasn’t charged a dime.

Here’s Hanks giving an account of his near-space flight experience. Since this is a TV talk show and he’s there to entertain, it’s best enjoyed with a grain of salt of considerable dimensions.

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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