5 actors who almost played iconic roles
News broke earlier this week that Olivia Munn originally auditioned for Deadpool, before she was ultimately cast as Psylocke in the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse.
Munn may have gone on to better things, but it got us thinking: Which are the actors who almost played iconic roles? And what happened to them in the end? This lot have all done pretty well for themselves - some have even gone on to play other iconic roles.
1. Pierce Brosnan as Batman
“That’s right, I could have been Bruce Wayne.” Photo: ABC News
Now, this is WILD. During a Reddit AMA last year, the former James Bond was asked he had ever been considered for the role of the Dark Knight. Brosnan’s answer took many by surprise.
“Yes, I did. I went and met with Tim Burton for the role of Batman. But I just couldn’t really take it seriously, any man who wears his underpants outside his pants just cannot be taken seriously. That was my foolish take on it. It was a joke, I thought. But how wrong was I?”
Pierce Brosnan ultimately went on to play James Bond four times. But the very thought of him as billionaire playboy and masked vigilante is enough to make us weak-kneed.
2. David Bowie as The Joker
“What, me in make up?” Photo: thecomeback.com
This is something that could definitely have worked. Bowie may have passed on, but his legacy in music and film is one that stretches back decades. And back in 1989, he was almost offered yet another iconic role: The Joker, Batman’s bete noir.
According to WhatCulture, screenwriter Sam Hamm said at the time, “Bowie would be kind of neat because he’s very funny when he does sinister roles”. The role ultimately went to Jack Nicholson, while the late Heath Ledger later put in the definitive Joker performance.
As for Bowie - well, he was busy becoming a living legend.
3. James Franco as Spider-Man
“Once I kill him, the role will be mine.” Photo: Sony Pictures
We all know that James Franco played Harry Osborn a.k.a. the Green Goblin in the Spider-Man movies. But did you know that he originally auditioned to play the title character? He even got as far as the screen tests, before the role ultimately went to Tobey Maguire.
Franco has since gone to become a writer/photographer/academic/model/director, and was even nominated for an Oscar for his role in 127 Hours. While the role of Spider-Man has since gone to Andrew Garfield (dumped after two movies, the poor thing), and now Tom Holland.
4. Russell Crowe as Wolverine
“What do you mean you want claws? Photo: DreamWorks Pictures
It’s well established in geek folklore by now: Russell Crowe was the first choice to play the mutant Wolverine in the first X-Men movie. He rejected it and recommended a fellow Australian named Hugh Jackman, and the rest is history.
As for Crowe, he’s done all right for himself in the 16 years since - he won an Oscar, did more than a few great movies and also played a certain Jor-el a.k.a. the father of Superman.
5. Bradley Cooper as Green Lantern
Cooper’s been very open about this - he lost out on the lead role in the 2011 Green Lantern reboot to Ryan Reynolds, after making it to the final list of contenders. But given how poorly the movie was received, Cooper really dodged a bullet there.
Cooper has since gone from high-profile project to high-profile project, starring alongside big names like Jennifer Lawrence and Christian Bale, and getting nominated for an Oscar. Oh, and he was the voice of Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy too.
Meanwhile, Reynolds has gone on to play the role he was born to play: Deadpool, and it’s already gotten rave reviews.
Source: Wikipedia, Whatculture, The Telegraph, Upvoted
Gillian Ang is the co-founder of Geek Crusade, a pop-culture news website dedicated to tracking all your favorite TV Shows and movies from rumour to screen. #Jointhecrusade for up to date fandom news for Sherlock, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Marvel and DC movies and many, many more. Tweets go out at @geekcrusade. The views expressed are her own.
