Tom Hanks Confirms He Turned Down Space Flight Offer From Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos took the lead in the billionaire space race last month when he sent actor William Shatner to space for his company’s second flight attempt with a crew onboard.

However, apparently Bezos was initially looking for even more star power for his Blue Origin launch.

Tom Hanks revealed this week that he actually turned down an invite to fly to space from Bezos, though he had good reason to say no.

While promoting his upcoming film "Finch" on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" this week, Hanks was asked by Kimmel about the rumours that he was invited by Jeff Bezos to fly to space.

Hanks confirmed the rumour, but claimed he turned down the invite after he was asked to pay for his ticket.

“You know, it cost 28 million bucks or something like that, and I’m doing good, Jimmy, I’m doing good. But I ain’t paying 28 [million] bucks,” joked Hanks.

According to Huffington Post, Bezos recently claimed Blue Origin is nearing $100 million in sales. While Hanks wasn’t willing to pay, clearly some people are.