02/27/2025
COOL RUNNINGS REUNION
Cool Runnings is a 1993 American sports comedy film directed by Jon Turteltaub from a screenplay by Lynn Siefert, Tommy Swerdlow, and Michael Goldberg, and a story by Siefert and Michael Ritchie. It is loosely based on the debut of the Jamaican national bobsleigh team at the 1988 Winter Olympics, and stars Leon Robinson, Doug E. Doug, Rawle D. Lewis, Malik Yoba, and John Candy. In the film, former Olympian Irving Blitzer (Candy) coaches a novice four-man bobsleigh team from Jamaica, led by sprinter Derice Bannock (Robinson).
DID YOU KNOW THAT?
DENZEL WASHINGTON & EDDIE MURPHY TURNED DOWN MAJOR ROLES
Derice Bannock, played by Leon, was a role originally offered to Denzel Washington, but he turned it down. Similarly, Eddie Murphy turned down the role of Sanka because the pay offered was too little.
IT WAS MALIK YOBA’S FIRST ROLE & HE WROTE THE THEME SONG
He got the part despite not having an agent or even a head shot. He also wrote the theme song. It’s officially titled “Jamaican Bobsledding Chant.” He pretended he was improvising the song on the spot at his audition; he had written it earlier. It led to a record deal.
Cool Runnings was theatrically released in the United States on October 1, 1993, by Buena Vista Pictures. It received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its humor, tone, and cast performances. The film grossed $154.9 million worldwide and its theme song, "I Can See Clearly Now" by Jimmy Cliff, reached number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
