Some characters are destined to steal the show.
But when it comes time to cast roles, crazy things can happen, and it's impossible to
predict who will end up in front of the cameras when they start rolling.
It may be hard to imagine, but some of your favorite movies and TV shows almost featured
someone else entirely in the leading role.
Here's a list of roles everyone in Hollywood wanted to play.
Young Han Solo
Casting the original Han Solo was nearly as tough as making the kessel run in under 12
parsecs.
So when Lucasfilm and Disney announced they'd be expanding the Star Wars universe with a
full slate of standalone films — including a "young Han Solo" prequel directed by Phil
Lord and Christopher Miller — every twentysomething male actor in the galaxy lined up to audition.
Among the big names: Whiplash's Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort from The Fault in Our Stars,
Neighbors star Zac Efron, and Brooklyn's Emory Cohen.
Sources claim over 2,500 actors either met with casting or submitted tapes before Hail,
Caesar! breakout actor Alden Ehrenreich was ultimately cast in the hotly anticipated film,
which will fly into theaters in 2018.
Just don't get cocky, kid.
Of course, that wasn't the only Star Wars role to be hotly contested...
Rey
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Lucasfilm decided to make a third Star Wars
trilogy and needed a brand new hero to anchor it.
Director J.J. Abrams and the casting team launched an extensive search for the right
person to play Rey, the mysterious orphan at the heart of The Force Awakens.
Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan auditioned, apparently having a blast "pretending to take out a lightsaber."
Elizabeth Olsen and Shailene Woodley were rumored to have auditioned for the part as
well, but Abrams was dead set on casting a fresh face.
Newcomer Daisy Ridley nabbed the role after five auditions, including one tearful screen
test that blew Abrams away.
The Force is strong with that one.
Wonder Woman
Hollywood has tried and failed for decades to bring Wonder Woman to the big screen.
Along the way, quite a few of the film industry's biggest stars have expressed interest in putting
on her iconic bracelets, including Sandra Bullock, Mad Men's Christina Hendricks, former
Bond Girl Olga Kurylenko, and even Katie Holmes — who's no stranger to the DC Comics universe.
When Warner Bros. finally decided to cast Wonder Woman for 2016's Batman v Superman,
the casting description read:
"Tall, brunette, athletic and exotic."
Israeli actress Gal Gadot won the role — and a shot at solo cinematic stardom with Wonder
Woman,
James Bond
Betting on who will become the next 007 has become a national pastime for bookies in the
U.K. Six actors have portrayed the world's most famous spy on the big screen, but every
time the role is vacated, a new crop of hot British actors hope to fill Bond's perfectly-tailored
suits.
Among those over the years who've wanted their martinis shaken and not stirred:
Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Colin Firth, and Clive Owen.
Current Bond Daniel Craig has been hesitant to confirm his participation in another film
after the success — and stress — of four films in the role.
Until he does, a few favorite candidates have emerged as his possible successor: Luther's
Idris Elba, Thor baddie Tom Hiddleston, Tom Hardy, and Homeland's Damien Lewis.
Even X-Files star Gillian Anderson wants to put her spin on the role.
Who will be the next secret agent to carry a license to kill?
Only time will tell.
Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele
When it came time to cast the big-screen adaptation of erotic bestseller Fifty Shades of Grey,
fans of the series, as well as author E.L.
James, had plenty of opinions regarding who should play the lead roles.
Fans campaigned especially hard for Matt Bomer, Alexis Bledel, and Ian Somerhalder, among
others.
James was partial to Shailene Woodley, who passed because of her commitment to the Divergent
franchise.
Other names entered seriously into the mix: Oscar winner Alicia Vikander, True Blood's
Alexander Skarsgard, Cara Delevingne, and Oscar nominee Felicity Jones.
Sons of Anarchy's Charlie Hunnam was originally cast as Grey opposite Dakota Johnson before
dropping out and being replaced by Irish actor Jamie Dornan.
Guess Hunnam got too tied up.
Harry Potter
To cast the Boy Who Lived, Warner Bros. put out an open call on the internet for Harry
Potter lookalikes, and over 40,000 kids sent in audition materials in hopes of being chosen.
Author J.K.
Rowling's one stipulation was the cast be British, eliminating Sorcerer's Stone director
Chris Columbus' initial first choice: Stepmom's Liam Aiken.
But plenty of other young American actors expressed interest, including the Sixth Sense's
Haley Joel Osment and Jonathan Lipnicki of Jerry Maguire fame.
Though he wound up playing Draco, even Tom Felton initially auditioned for the parts
of both Harry and Ron.
Of course, now it's impossible to imagine anyone but Daniel Radcliffe as the boy wizard.
Clarice Starling
Hannibal Lecter actually never said "Hello Clarice" in the movie Silence of the Lambs
- really!
And Clarice almost wasn't the Clarice we remember so well had late director Jonathan Demme had
his way.
Though Jodie Foster campaigned heavily to get the role, she wasn't anywhere in Demme's
shortlist.
Michelle Pfeiffer was the first choice, having just worked with Demme on Married to the Mob,
but she was uncomfortable with the movie's subject matter and ultimately passed.
Meg Ryan was also considered thanks to her popularity coming off a string of hits, but
she too passed, apparently "offended" Demme even thought of her for such a gruesome project.
Laura Dern gave such an impressive audition, Demme said she was "it," but studios weren't
comfortable with the still relatively unknown actress carrying such a big project.
So he gave the role to Foster — who went on to win an Oscar.
Katniss Everdeen
After the massive success of the Hunger Games book trilogy, there was no shortage of actresses
looking to score the highly coveted lead role of Katniss Everdeen.
Emily Browning, best known for her role in Sucker Punch and The Uninvited, was a top
contender for the part.
Saoirse Ronan, who starred in Hanna with Cate Blanchett, was also a strong choice with her
background in hand-to-hand combat and penchant for athletic roles.
Also on the list were Abigail Breslin from Little Miss Sunshine and Hailee Steinfeld
of True Grit.
Of course, Katniss went to Jennifer Lawrence, and the rest was movie history.
Amy Dunne
Anyone who read Gone Girl knows the casting for the character of Amy Dunne had to be perfect.
This highly sought after part was actively pursued by Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron,
and Olivia Wilde.
Portman, the Oscar-winning actress best known for her turn in Black Swan, would have brought
a multi-layered performance, while Charlize Theron's stunningly disturbed turn as Mary
Ann Lomax in The Devil's Advocate with Keanu Reeves proved she could have nailed this role
alongside Ben Affleck.
Finally, Olivia Wilde, no stranger to carrying a film as the deranged Zoe in The Lazarus
Effect, had the looks and the chops for the role of Amy.
It ultimately went to Rosamund Pike, who turned out to be the perfect choice.
Vivian Ward
For awhile, it seemed like every actress in Hollywood was clamoring to play the hooker
with a heart of gold in what many consider to be Gary Marshall's masterpiece.
Meg Ryan was initially offered the part opposite Richard Gere, but had to decline the offer
as she had scheduling conflicts.
A string of other actresses nearly took the opportunity to play Vivian but had concerns
with the subject matter, including Michelle Pfeiffer and Daryl Hannah.
Julia Roberts ultimately landed the career-making part.
Michael Corleone
Believe it or not, Paramount Pictures' first choice for the compelling Godfather franchise
was not Al Pacino.
It's hard not to picture him in the leading role, but at one point Jack Nicholson was
wanted to play Michael Corleone.
Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman also expressed interest in playing the role and made it far
along in the casting process.
Meanwhile, director Francis Ford Coppola nearly pulled out of the project as he fought Paramount
executives over casting Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone.
Batman
As far as Batman movies go, Tim Burton's first Batman flick is legendary.
In the 1980s, every leading man in Hollywood actively sought an audition to be a part of
what was undoubtedly going to be a hit franchise with a stellar paycheck.
Can you imagine your favorite Ghostbuster as Batman?
That's right: Bill Murray was reportedly considered for the batsuit.
Mel Gibson was rumored too, as were Charlie Sheen and Alec Baldwin.
After all that, Michael Keaton was the lucky guy who eventually donned the cape and cowl.
Ferris Bueller
John Hughes reportedly wrote Ferris Bueller's Day Off with Matthew Broderick in mind, but
other actors had to be considered.
Johnny Depp was initially offered the role but ultimately turned it down.
Jim Carrey was also rumored to be in the mix, but after conducting his studio-mandated search,
Hughes returned to Broderick, the guy he'd wanted for the part all along — and in hindsight,
it's pretty obvious he had the right idea.
Dr. Evil
Who doesn't get a kick out of this super '60s-themed spy comedy?
Up until a scheduling conflict arose with the production of Liar, Liar, comedy superstar
Jim Carrey was set to play Dr. Evil in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.
Stuck for an actor to fill the crucial role, star and creator Mike Myers decided to don
the bald cap and play Austin Powers' nemesis himself.
Rachel Green
Easily one of the most popular sitcoms of all time, Friends catapulted every actor involved
to fame, most notably Jennifer Aniston, who played Rachel Green.
Many young hopefuls auditioned for the role that would eventually inspire one of the most
imitated hairstyles of all time.
At first, the producers expressed strong interest in actress Tea Leoni.
But as when Aniston passed on an opportunity at Saturday Night Live to sign on for the
sitcom, the rest became Must-See TV history.
Scarlett O'Hara
It may very well be the most famous casting search of all time.
In an effort to build anticipation for the 1939 big screen adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's
epic novel Gone with the Wind, producer David O. Selznick decided to make his hunt for spunky
heroine Scarlett O'Hara a national obsession.
According to an Entertainment Weekly article, he had fans writing impassioned letters on
behalf of their favorite actresses and a whistle-stop tour of the South looking for unknown talent.
TCM.com says that MGM spent two years trying to cast the role, seeing 1,400 actresses and
testing the likes of Katharine Hepburn, Tallulah Bankhead, Bette Davis, Paulette Goddard, and
Joan Crawford.
Filming had already begun on the burning of Atlanta scene when relatively unknown British
actress Vivien Leigh was cast just days before principal photography was set to begin, ending
a search nearly as melodramatic as Scarlett herself.
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