Airplane! was just on The Rewatchables, one of The Ringer podcasts, and the co-pilot role was originally written for Pete Rose but he couldn't do it because they filmed during baseball season.
https://www.theringer.com/podcasts/the-rewatchables/2025/09/...
https://www.mlb.com/cut4/kareem-abdul-jabbars-role-in-airpla...