What are some movies where you think that a potential alternate casting could’ve done just as well as the actual film, or where you’d at least have been intrigued to see where it would’ve turned out?
For myself, Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones is the big one. Kurt Russell as Han Solo could have been interesting. Frederic Forest, while perhaps not cut out for Han Solo, should’ve been reconsidered for Boba Fett or another smuggler/bounty hunter type later.
Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly.
Could’ve worked I think. Might’ve lent a slightly darker edge to the film, which wouldn’t have necessarily been a bad thing although I don’t think it would’ve been as huge a hit. I can see it being sort of an underground, beloved 80s thing with Stoltz in the role.
Andy Garcia was apparently set to play Zorro, but dropped out and the role famously went to Antonio Banderas. So, to answer your question . . . no, I don’t think the film would’ve been as good with Garcia, assuming (as the filmmakers did) that Zorro is supposed to be a laughing daredevil with a knack for roguish swashbuckling.
But would it have been intriguing to see Garcia in the role? Well, yeah.
Wait, Eric Stoltz had the job and by all reports was lifeless in the part and they fired him and reshot that portion of the film. I think E-DUB was joking with you.
I wish Sean Connery would have signed on as Theoden in the Lord of the Rings. It would have been epic I believe. He was offered Gandalf by reports, but I don’t think that would have been as great. Ian did a great job as Gandalf.
Sean Connery was also asked to be Zorro in Mask of Zorro, but signed out at the last minute resulting in Anthony Hopkins getting the role.
Harrison Ford turned down the lead role in:
**Big **(1988) - Turned it down because he didn’t like the director
Die Hard (1988)
**Ghost **(1990) - Read script three times and didn’t understand it.
Hunt for Red October (1990)
**Misery **(1990)
Cape Fear (1991) - The role Nick Nolte ended up playing. Scorcese really wanted Ford for the role. Ford said he would only do it if he could play Max Cady.
**JFK **(1991) - First choice for the role of Jim Garrison, but was on vacation
Jurassic Park (1993) - First choice for Alan Grant, turned it down
The Patriot (2000) - Turned it down because it was too violent
Connery turned down:
Die Hard with a Vengeance - the role of Simon Gruber. He didn’t want to play a villain.
Jurassic Park - He was offered the role of John Hammond, but wanted more money than the studio was willing to offer.
The Matrix - Turned down the role of The Architect
Al Pacino:
-Turned down the role of Han Solo in Star Wars because he didn’t understand the script
-Turned down the lead in Close Encounters of the Third Kind
-Turned down the lead in Apocalyse Now because he didn’t want to work with Coppola in a jungle for months on end
-Turned down the role of John Rambo in First Blood because Rambo wasn’t crazy enough.
-Turned down the role of John McClaine in Die Hard
-Turned down the lead role in Pretty Woman as he didn’t feel he fit the part.
Harrison Ford turned down the lead role in:
**Big **(1988) - Turned it down because he didn’t like the director: Penny Marshall had little reputation but went on to make several great movies. 2 with Hanks, Big and A league of Their Own. I love Harrison Ford, but no way Big would have been as good with him.
Die Hard (1988) I recall hearing they went through almost every A-list action star before settling for TV Actor Bruce Willis. This movie made Bruce’s career and he was perfect in it. Fortunate for everyone concerned.
**Ghost **(1990) - Read script three times and didn’t understand it. Script was a mess, but Ford could have pulled this one off.
Hunt for Red October (1990) Of course and he would have been better then Baldwin but Baldwin was fine in this.
**Misery **(1990) Huh, interesting. Not sure it would have been better but I think Ford would have been very good in the role.
Cape Fear (1991) - The role Nick Nolte ended up playing. Scorcese really wanted Ford for the role. Ford said he would only do it if he could play Max Cady. Just as well.
**JFK **(1991) - First choice for the role of Jim Garrison, but was on vacation Would have helped the movie I think.
Jurassic Park (1993) - First choice for Alan Grant, turned it down He would have nailed this but then maybe he figured too many people would be thinking Indy the Dino expert.
The Patriot (2000) - Turned it down because it was too violent Could only have improved it. Gibson thought he was in the Braveheart sequel or something.
Numerous actresses other than Maggie Gylenhall for the role of Rachel in *The Dark Knight.
What was his excuse for not turning down The Avengers, then?
A lot more money and time set aside to play golf.
I assume the role Harrison Ford turned down in “Hunt for Red October” was Jack Ryan? If so I’d be curious what his reason was, and why he decided to play him in subsequent movies. (And why Alec Baldwin only played him once.)
As well as Katie Holmes…
Holmes bargained with the devil and got this role and was blah. Maggie Gyllenhaal is beautiful and a good actor but she has more of a “cute in independent movie” vibe. Hard to believe that two men like Harvey Dent and Bruce Wayne love either characterization so much that they would die/kill/save a city for her.
I’ve noted before that Matthew Goode is basically Jude Law without the same knack for switching on ‘warmth’ and ‘charm’ and ‘hey that guy has some movie-star quality that makes us give him top billing in film after film’. I mean, Law can do the whole Chilly Rich Guy bit, with a smile that doesn’t reach the eyes; but he can go right past it to ‘amiable’, sure as Goode doesn’t do that with any kind of ease.
And, to quote Goode about his role in WATCHMEN, “when I got there to start filming, all the artwork still had Jude Law’s face on it”. Because of course it did; Law had a shot at pulling off the ‘retired superhero’ thing, in a way that Goode didn’t.
Charlton Heston said he was first offered the role of Messala for Ben-Hur, rather than Judah. When he definitely was cast as Judah, he tried to help his friend Chuck Conners get the role as Messala but it went to Stephen Boyd.