Frank Sinatra turned down Dirty Harry. as did John Wayne.
Things that might have been
- Thread starter Unicron
- Start date
^ And Elvis, I've heard!
About Python: I remember an original plan for Holy Grail was that the knights would find the grail...at Harrods in present day England.
Much of that version of the film turned up in an actual Flying Circus episode (the one about 'Michael Ellis').
Other might-have-beens:
- Edward James Olmos as ST III's Commander Kruge
- Sean Connery as Sybok
- Will Smith as Neo
- Jeffrey Combs or William (Okona) Campbell as Will Riker
- Stephen Macht (General Krim) as Picard
- Ro Laren on DS9
- Martin Sheen as Luther Sloan (Section 31)
- ST III with Romulans instead of Klingons
- Sam Beckett leaping in as Thomas Magnum
- a version of the closing scene in the final episode of QL where Sam leaps into the future as some kind of space pilot
Much of that version of the film turned up in an actual Flying Circus episode (the one about 'Michael Ellis').
Other might-have-beens:
- Edward James Olmos as ST III's Commander Kruge
- Sean Connery as Sybok
- Will Smith as Neo
- Jeffrey Combs or William (Okona) Campbell as Will Riker
- Stephen Macht (General Krim) as Picard
- Ro Laren on DS9
- Martin Sheen as Luther Sloan (Section 31)
- ST III with Romulans instead of Klingons
- Sam Beckett leaping in as Thomas Magnum
- a version of the closing scene in the final episode of QL where Sam leaps into the future as some kind of space pilot
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^ Wow. EJO as Kruge? Now he would've made a fearsome Klingon with a better glare than Gowron.
Or at least less "rubber wallpaper" than Gowron.
Or at least less "rubber wallpaper" than Gowron.
Yep. AFAIK, it was Harve Bennett who wanted EJO as Kruge, but Nimoy did not.
It's the other way around. Nimoy wanted him, but Bennett didn't, so Nimoy (a first time feature film director) deferred Bennett, an experienced producer. At least, that's Nimoy's account in William Shatner's Star Trek Movie Memories.
Yeah, Nimoy wanted Olmos but others felt that he was too short.
Jack Nicholson reprising The Joker.
From the "we dodged a bullet department", we've nearly had American James Bonds on numerous occasions. both Burt Reynolds and Adam West were considered for Bond in the late 60s. West reportedly turned it down because he thought Bond should be played by a British actor, and I'm not sure why Reynolds said no. Although these have the makings of "urban legend" as with Reagan and Casablanca, both have actually been confirmed by various Bond-related sources and Reynolds was interviewed about nearly becoming Bond last week in conjunction with his appearance on Archer.
An American actor you've never heard of named John Gavin was signed to play Bond in Diamonds Are Forever, but was let go when Connery agreed to come back. Similarly, James Brolin (yes, Mr. Barbara Streisand) was either signed or almost signed to play Bond in Octopussy but Roger Moore agreed to come back.
One wonders how Reynolds' career, in particular, would have developed if he'd taken the role of Bond. Would he have gone on to become a symbol of the "good ol' boy 70s" with his Smokey and the Bandit movies? Would Cosmo have had its biggest selling issue ever?
If Adam West had taken the role, would that have allowed him to escape the typecasting left behind from Batman?
I personally can't imagine how an American Bond would have turned out.
(Well, I guess yes I can: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bBnVDj5SkA )
Alex
An American actor you've never heard of named John Gavin was signed to play Bond in Diamonds Are Forever, but was let go when Connery agreed to come back. Similarly, James Brolin (yes, Mr. Barbara Streisand) was either signed or almost signed to play Bond in Octopussy but Roger Moore agreed to come back.
One wonders how Reynolds' career, in particular, would have developed if he'd taken the role of Bond. Would he have gone on to become a symbol of the "good ol' boy 70s" with his Smokey and the Bandit movies? Would Cosmo have had its biggest selling issue ever?
If Adam West had taken the role, would that have allowed him to escape the typecasting left behind from Batman?
I personally can't imagine how an American Bond would have turned out.
(Well, I guess yes I can: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bBnVDj5SkA )
Alex
^ Would those actors have played Bond *as* an American (which would be unthinkable) or would they use faux British accents?
More might-have-beens:
- Bruce Campbell as 'Jack' (the genetically enhanced nutbar from DS9)
- Claudia Christian as Seven of Nine
- Genevieve Bujold as Janeway
More might-have-beens:
- Bruce Campbell as 'Jack' (the genetically enhanced nutbar from DS9)
- Claudia Christian as Seven of Nine
- Genevieve Bujold as Janeway
I remember hearing that originally, Jaws 3 was to be an Airplane-style farce done by National Lampoon titled Jaws 3, People 0. It had a screenplay written by John Hughes and a cast that included Bo Derek and Roger Bumpass (The voice of Squidward on SpongeBob SquarePants), but reportedly Steven Spielberg went to the head of Universal and got him to kill the project.
Also, I read that there was supposed to be a sequel to Animal House that had the Deltas going to San Francisco during the Summer of Love in 1967, but it never came to be. I like to think the box office failure of More American Graffiti scared them off from doing it.
Also, I read that there was supposed to be a sequel to Animal House that had the Deltas going to San Francisco during the Summer of Love in 1967, but it never came to be. I like to think the box office failure of More American Graffiti scared them off from doing it.
Speaking of Airplane!, there's this bit in the closing credits of Airplane II:
COMING SOON: AIRPLANE III!!!
(cut to Shatner going "That's just what they'll be expecting us to do...")
COMING SOON: AIRPLANE III!!!
(cut to Shatner going "That's just what they'll be expecting us to do...")
