{"id":129447,"date":"2020-11-25T16:47:58","date_gmt":"2020-11-25T16:47:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gamerant.com\/weird-casting-choices-almost-happened\/"},"modified":"2020-11-25T16:47:58","modified_gmt":"2020-11-25T16:47:58","slug":"weird-casting-choices-that-almost-happened-game-rant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/wordpress\/index.php\/2020\/11\/25\/weird-casting-choices-that-almost-happened-game-rant\/","title":{"rendered":"Weird Casting Choices that Almost Happened | Game Rant"},"content":{"rendered":"

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As famously quipped by director John Frankenheimer, \u201ccasting is 65% of the battle\u201d. Getting casting right can not only mean critical success but commercial achievement \u2013 finding the right actor for the part is crucially important.<\/p>\n

However, that doesn\u2019t mean the first choice in necessarily the right choice. Oftentimes studios<\/a> and directors will offer well-established actors key roles first, hoping their celebrity will guarantee a project commercial success. If they turn down the part, whether due to scheduling, price, or simple lack of interest, then the creative team can approach their real favorite choice. Because of this weird quirk of practice, Hollywood has countless horror stories<\/a> of weird choices for iconic roles. Whilst a lot of these choices are confined to the realm of \u2018what could have been\u2019, it doesn\u2019t stop everyone else from gawking at how odd they are.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> CBS Wants 50% of Cast on Unscripted Shows to be People of Color <\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Talk about ideas that haven\u2019t aged well. That\u2019s right: the studio initially wanted \u2018The Juice\u2019 for The Terminator<\/a>, instead of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Now inextricably intertwined with Schwarzenegger (\u201cI\u2019ll be back\u201d), the role was going to be offered to Simpson<\/a> because the studio wanted a \u2018large\u2019 celebrity to play the T-800 \u2013 as a former football player, OJ definitely fit the bill.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s even more haunting is that director James Cameron rejected this idea because he thought Simpson was “too nice,” and wouldn’t be believable as a killing machine. Instead, they resolved to go with Schwarzenegger, who was originally being considered for Kyle Reese. The Terminator <\/em>was released in 1984, and a mere 10 years later Simpson was arrested and charged with the murder of his ex-wife \u2013 it would seem Simpson proved Cameron wrong.<\/p>\n

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Remember around 2010 when Joseph Gordon Levitt was seemingly in everything? 500 Days of Summer<\/em>, Inception, 50\/50<\/em>, G.I. Joe, The Dark Knight Rises, Looper<\/em>? Well, turns out there was one role he didn\u2019t get \u2013 Peter Quill in Marvel\u2019s The Guardians of the Galaxy<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The former child actor was on the shortlist for James Gunn\u2019s MCU smash hit<\/a>, with many predicting that Levitt would be the one to eventually win the role. However, in the end, Gunn and the studio went with Chris Pratt, with the part and the film leaning more into adolescent comedy, an area where Levitt ostensibly doesn\u2019t thrive. Nevertheless, it\u2019s fun to think that Star-Lord almost was that nerdy kid from Brick<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Originally, Jack Sparrow wasn\u2019t going to end up like the wild combination of Keith Richard and Pepe Le Pew \u2013 writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio initially envisioned the character to be more like a young Burt Lancaster, adventurous and dashing. In this regard, the first few casting options for this part were typical handsome action heroes \u2013 namely, Hugh Jackman.<\/p>\n

Jackman\u2019s name was floated because he hit the criteria for the classic Hollywood hunk. However, the part ended up going to Johnny Depp<\/a>, as producer Jerry Bruckheimer felt Depp would give the film an edge that could draw teenage and adult audiences. It was only at the table read did Captain Jack Sparrow\u2019s now-infamous idiosyncrasies first appear.<\/p>\n

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Two for the price of one \u2013 Miles Teller and Emma Watson were the top choices for the male and female leads in Damien Chazelle\u2019s La La Land<\/em><\/a>, and both were booted for being too demanding. Teller had previously worked with Chazelle on Whiplash<\/em> so was obviously a top contender from the start. However, he wanted $6m for the role but the studio only wanted to pay for $4m, so he was dropped.<\/p>\n

Equally, Watson was the top choice for the female lead, with the studio obviously banking on her star power to deliver audiences. However, Watson wanted the rehearsals for the film to take place in London, as to not interrupt her work on Beauty and the Beast<\/em> \u2013 understandably, the studio didn\u2019t want to transplant the entire pre-production team to another continent, so she was dropped as well.<\/p>\n

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Another double bill, The Matrix<\/em> edition<\/a> \u2013 Will Smith was originally the top choice for Keanu Reeves’ Neo and Sean Connery was the first-round pick for Lawrence Fishbourne\u2019s Morpheus. Unlike the La La Land<\/em> situation, however, the fault may lie with the directors, the Wachowskis, this time.<\/p>\n

Following the massive success of Men In Black, <\/em>Will Smith was being actively courted for everything, including The Matrix<\/em>. Unfortunately, he turned down the part, due to some confusion. Ever the up-and-coming influencer, Smith detailed the interaction in full on his YouTube channel, explaining why (spoilers: it was because the Wachowskis didn\u2019t describe the famous Matrix back-bend very well):<\/p>\n