26Galaxy’s Quest
Harold Ramis was set to direct “Galaxy’s Quest”, with Steve Martin, Kevin Kline, or Alec Baldwin in the lead roles. Neither actors were available, and later Ramis left the project after DreamWorks favored Tim Allen in the lead instead. Ramis later said he was impressed with Allen’s performance in the film.
27. The actor who played George McFly in Back to the Future rejected the role for Part II of the series because of the script. Jeffery Weissman was hired and using a face mold made in the first movie and prosthetics, they were able to recreate the original actor’s likeness resulting in a lawsuit against the company.
28. Keanu Reeves was the last choice for the role of “Neo” from The Matrix. Brad Pitt was first to accept before declining. Leonardo DiCaprio later accepted before declining. Others considered were Will Smith, Nicolas Cage, Sandra Bullock, Johnny Depp, Kevin Costner, David Duchovny, and Tom Cruise.
29. Anthony Michael Hall was the first choice to play the lead role of Private Joker in “Full Metal Jacket.” Hall spent eight months preparing for the role but could not reach an agreement with Stanley Kubrick regarding monetary compensation, and was replaced by Matthew Modine.
30. Mark Ruffalo won his role in Shutter Island by sending a fan letter to Martin Scorsese in which he told him how much he’d love to work with him. Ruffalo’s future co-stars Robert Downey Jr. and Josh Brolin were being considered for the role.
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15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
31Benjamin Buford Blue
Dave Chappelle was offered the role of Benjamin Buford “Bubba” Blue in Forrest Gump but he turned it down because he thought the character was demeaning and the movie would bomb.
32. Beyoncé assumed she would automatically get the title role of Princess Tiana, Disney’s first black princess, in the 2009 film “The Princess and the Frog,” so she refused to audition. The role went to Anika Noni Rose, who had co-starred with Beyoncé in the 2006 film Dreamgirls.
33. Reba McEntire was offered the role of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” in James Cameron's Titanic, but she turned it down due to filming being delayed beyond the 3 months she set aside to film it and she was worried about the people on her payroll not being able to work.
34. Catherine Zeta-Jones was initially offered the lead role in Chicago, but she turned it down in favor of playing Velma in the same movie, just so she could sing “All That Jazz.”
35. Mark Hamill auditioned for the role of Mozart in the movie adaptation of 'Amadeus' after playing the role on Broadway, but was rejected after a studio executive said, “I don't want Luke Skywalker in this film.”
