- 7 weeks ago
Iconic movie roles that were almost played by someone completely different.
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00:00Advertising a movie's cast ahead of time is usually a great way of drumming up interest in an upcoming release, but sometimes plans change.
00:08Actors drop out of movies all the time, even after they've started filming them, which can sometimes even derail a project and leave its prospects in the dust.
00:17Sometimes though, someone leaving after signing on to a film can be a blessing in disguise.
00:23So with that being said, I'm Gem from WhatCulture.com and here are 10 more Best Actor Replacements in Movies.
00:2910. Sandra Bullock in Demolition Man
00:321993's Demolition Man paired up Sylvester Stallone's maverick cop John Spartan with Wesley Snipes' psychotic criminal Simon Phoenix to great effect.
00:43After causing mayhem in their own time, the pair are frozen and wake up in the future where, predictably, they end up causing more destruction.
00:51Another key character in the tale is Lenina Huxley, who becomes Spartan's love interest.
00:56She's played by Sandra Bullock in what would be her big breakout role, but things almost shook out very differently.
01:03Lori Petty was initially hired to play Huxley, but she only lasted two days on set before getting the boot.
01:09Producer John Silver cited creative differences as the reason for Petty's departure, but the Point Break and Free Willy star said that it was issues with Stallone that led to her sacking.
01:19It's hard to imagine Petty filling this role with the power of hindsight, and even harder to imagine a Hollywood without Bullock, but if she didn't get this part, then the rest of her career might have looked very different.
01:31Imagine a world without Miss Congeniality. What a nasty place that would be.
01:359. Albert Brooks in Finding Nemo
01:38From Lost in America to Broadcast News to his outstanding turn as Hank Scorpio and The Simpsons, Albert Brooks is a phenomenal actor who really does not get the love he deserved.
01:49His most beloved role is easily that of Marlin, the neurotic clownfish and father of the title character in Finding Nemo.
01:56His hilarious outbursts, strained relationship with Dory and sheer determination to track down his boy provide many of the movie's greatest moments, even if the forgetful blue tang often steals his thunder.
02:09Brooks was not the first choice to play Marlin. That was William H. Macy, the star of Fargo, Boogie Nights and actually recorded most of the dialogue for the role, but director Andrew Stanton pulled a last-minute U-turn when he felt that the film needed more levity.
02:23He hired Brooks to give the character a lighter feel and, sure enough, it worked.
02:28Stanton said on the film's DVD commentary that this decision saved the film and, considering how integral Brooks' performance feels, that probably is indeed the case.
02:38You gotta feel sorry for poor Macy, though. It's not his fault he's too good of a dramatic actor.
02:438. Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop
02:46The Beverly Hills Cop movies, which follow the various mishaps of wisecracking lawman Axel Foley, are landmark action comedies from the 80s.
02:54They turned actor Eddie Murphy into a superstar, gave directors Martin Brest and Tony Scott space to flex their filmmaking chops, and also gifted audiences with one of the best movie soundtracks of the decade.
03:06But the core component is undoubtedly Murphy, so much of his personality comes from the fact that he's played by Eddie Murphy, a fast-talking 80s comedy legend, which is why it's crazy to think that the character was initially earmarked for Sylvester Stallone.
03:21Sly, making his second appearance on the list, rewrote most of the original Beverly Hills Cop script to make it more dramatic.
03:28Ultimately, the studio decided this was not the direction they wanted to go in, and said bye-bye to Rocky Balboa.
03:34Murphy was eventually chosen as his replacement, and movie comedy history was indeed made.
03:40If you're curious as to what a Stallone-pened Beverly Hills Cop would have looked like, he recycled most of his ideas into his 1986 movie, Cobra.
03:487. Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns
03:51The two Tim Burton Batman movies absolutely nailed their villain casting.
03:561989's Batman showcased Jack Nicholson as a fan-favorite version of Joker, while its sequel, 1992's Batman Returns, was twice as nice with Danny DeVito as the Penguin, and Michelle Pfeiffer stealing the show as Selina Carl slash Catwoman.
04:11This whip-cracking, leather-clad femme fatale is up there with the very best live-action portrayals of the comic book anti-hero, but Pfeiffer had to scratch and claw her way to land the part.
04:21Catwoman was initially offered to Annette Bening, who was forced to give up the role after falling pregnant.
04:27Sean Young was a frontrunner for a while, turning up to the audition in a homemade costume, and even going on Joan Rivers' talk show in character to drum up support, but she too was passed over.
04:38This must have been doubtfully painful for Young, as she had previously been cast as Vicki Vale in the previous Batman movie, before an injury led to Kim Basinger replacing her.
04:47Number 6. Mike Myers in Shrek
04:50Chris Farley was an extremely popular comedian, actor, SNL cast member, and all-round entertainment tour de force.
04:58He appeared in various big movies, from Wayne's World to Airheads to Tommy Boy, and would have surely enjoyed more success had he not died of a drug overdose in 1997, aged just 33 years old.
05:10Prior to his death, Farley was working as a voice actor for an upcoming DreamWorks animated feature.
05:16The role was a hideous green ogre who, through a dangerous quest to recover an imprisoned princess, learned that the outside world isn't as hostile as he thought.
05:25That's right, Farley was the original voice actor for Shrek. The star had recorded most of his lines for the movie before he passed away, and the studio considered getting his brother John to complete his dialogue, but instead, Mike Myers was cast as his replacement, and the character would go on to become a worldwide phenomenon.
05:44There's no telling how Farley's version of the unlikely fairytale hero would have gone down, but it's hard to picture him without his iconic Scottish twang, which was a Myers innovation.
05:53Number 5. Gene Wilder in Blazing Saddles
05:57Mel Brooks' legendary spoof, Western Blazing Saddles, is still regarded by many as one of the funniest films ever made.
06:05His story revolves around the partnership between a sheriff named Bert and an alcoholic gunfire, Jim, the Wacko Kid, played by a frequent Brooks collaborator, Gene Wilder.
06:14Though the pair had already worked together on the producers, Wilder was not who Brooks originally wanted for the role.
06:20After first offering the part to John Wayne, who, in true Duke fashion, did not get the joke, Brooks eventually settled on Gig Young, a three-time Oscar nominee with a real-life drinking problem.
06:32Sadly, Young's demons wasted little time in derailing the shoot as he collapsed on set during his first scene.
06:39The star was diagnosed with severe alcohol withdrawal and deemed unfit to fulfil his duties.
06:45Brooks got on the phone to Wilder, who flew in to save the day.
06:48Wilder absolutely crushed it here.
06:50He played a huge part in making Blazing Saddles what it is, and the Wacko Kid would also define his career moving forward.
06:57It might not have been under the most pleasant of circumstances, but thank God this switch happened.
07:04Number 4. Michael Biehn in Aliens
07:06There was just one problem with 20th Century Fox's plans to make a sequel to Ridley Scott's Alien.
07:12Pretty much all the characters had been killed off in the first film.
07:15To get around this rather annoying issue, a host of new faces were brought in to back up Ellen Ripley in her fight against the Xenomorphs, including Corporal Dwayne Hicks, played by Michael Biehn.
07:26Biehn, who director James Cameron had previously cast as Carl Reiss in The Terminator, played a key part in the success of this movie,
07:33forming a bond with the traumatised Ripley and helping her start her new family alongside Newt and Bishop.
07:39Well, until they're all pointlessly killed off in the next film.
07:42Producer Walter Hill initially recommended James Remar, who had previously appeared in The Warriors and The Cotton Club to play Hicks.
07:50He left the set shortly after filming started due to an arrest for drug possession, which led to being taken on the role.
07:56Remar does appear in some parts of the final cut, but only from behind.
08:00Number 3. Ben Whishaw in Paddington
08:03When it was first announced that a story featuring beloved children's character and marmalade addict Paddington Bear was coming to the big screen,
08:11nobody could have predicted how well it would do.
08:14The first Paddington film and its sequel are bona fide modern classics, with even the most hardened of cynics warming up to the irresistible charm.
08:22Both movies are stacked with talent, with Hugh Bonneville, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, and many more sharing screen time with Peru's greatest export.
08:31Initially, Colin Firth was to voice to the hard-staring, raincoat-wearing bundle of joy, but he left of his own accord after the studio decided he wasn't the right fit.
08:41Enter Ben Whishaw, best known as the latest version of Q in the James Bond series.
08:45His warm tones and welcoming cadence perfectly suited the politest character in all of fiction, and he has helped to make Paddington an icon all over the world.
08:55Firth is a fine actor for sure, but he would have been totally wrong for this film.
09:00Usually, studios don't know their elbows from their backsides when it comes to casting decisions, but this time, they got it spot on.
09:07Number 2. Hugh Jackman in X-Men
09:10Hugh Jackman is so deeply associated with the X-Men film series and the character of Wolverine that he is in the Guinness Book of World Records for playing the grumpy Canadian.
09:20He has appeared as the cigar-chomping mutant seven times on the big screen, soon to be ate with the release of Deadpool and Wolverine,
09:27and it would cause an international incident if anyone else ever took over his reigns.
09:32However, in an alternate universe, somebody else got to wear the claws.
09:37Scottish actor Dougray Scott was initially cast as Wolverine, but pulled out due to scheduling conflicts, a motorbike accident, and, according to Scott himself, the orders of Tom Cruise.
09:48Scott had initially been signed to a multi-picture deal, meaning Fox clearly had big plans for him, and it's just fate that had other ideas.
09:56The first X-Men movie he had been shooting for three weeks when Jackman was cast.
09:59He knew so little about the superhero that he actually spent time studying wolves ahead of filming, but because he thought that this would help him with the character.
10:07Don't worry, folks, we'll figure it out eventually.
10:10Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below, and while you're there, drop us a like, share, and subscribe too.
10:15And number 1. Viggo Mortensen in the Lord of the Rings series
10:18Viggo Mortensen is Aragorn.
10:22This Danish-American heartthrob did such a good job of bringing the future King of Gondor to life.
10:27Also, did you know he broke his toe when he kicked that helmet?
10:31In another world, Daniel Day-Lewis could have played the part in Peter Jackson's epic Lord of the Rings trilogy,
10:37as he was discussed by the director and studio, but no serious offer was even made.
10:43Instead, they first reached out to Stuart Townsend, who would go on to play Dorian Gray in the film version of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,
10:51and he said yes.
10:51Unfortunately, the powers that be thought that Townsend wasn't old enough to play Strider,
10:57and he was sent home, even though shooting had already begun.
11:00In came Mortensen to take his place, and that was that.
11:04Mortensen embodies so many of the qualities that make Aragorn such an amazing literary character.
11:10No offence to Mr Townsend, but there is simply no way he could have done a better job than the man with the piercing blue eyes.
11:16Thank you for your time.
11:17Thank you very much.
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