Two years before Donald Trump was sworn in as commander-in-chief, he was on his way to playing the very same role in Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! After not being able to cast their number one pick, Sarah Palin, producers reached out to The Donald to see if he was interested in the role. “He was thrilled to be asked,” David Lyatt told the Hollywood Reporter.
But after Trump announced his campaign for the real-life president of the United States, communication between the Sharknado team and his camp became strained. They decided to pass on the role to Mark Cuban. Apparently, the decision upset Trump so much his lawyer Michael D. Cohen threatened to sue the production.
With the production clock ticking, Asylum pulled the trigger on a backup plan, offering the role to Mark Cuban — a modest casting coup that Syfy trumpeted with a press release.
“Then we immediately heard from Trump’s lawyer,” recalls Latt. “He basically said, ‘How dare you? Donald wanted to do this. We’re going to sue you! We’re going to shut the entire show down!’ “
Although nothing came of it, it’s indicative of Trump’s litigious nature. It’s also a sad day when you realize the political climate in the world of Sharknado, a Syfy world of cyclones filled with man-eating sharks, is probably better than the one we’re in right now.
H/T the Hollywood Reporter