The Sprocket Hole - Bizzaro World Casting
I'm always fascinated hearing alternative casting to famous movie roles. How weird a world could it be if Sir Sean Connery had accepted the role as Gandalf in Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, or Christopher Walken had taken the role as Han Solo in the original Star Wars?
Hollywood is awash with tales of actors who could have taken famous roles, but turned the director down. It's entirely possible most of the most iconic screen roles were taken by a director's second or third choice, and it makes you wonder would the movie be any better or worse with the first-choice actor in the role.
One of the most high profile second-choices was Harrison Ford getting the role of Indiana Jones. Steven Spielberg wasn't even considering Ford as a possible, as the actor was settled into the role of Han Solo for his producing partner George Lucas at the time. Spielberg's first choice was tv actor Tom Selleck, but unfortunately Selleck was contracted to play Magnum PI for Universal and couldn't get out of his contract (a similar fate was to befall 007-in-waiting Pierce Brosnan in 1987 when he couldn't get out of his Remington Steele contract.)
What would Christopher Lee's Hammer career have looked like if Bernie Bresslaw hadn't asked for too much money to play the Creature in Curse of Frankenstein (1957)? Lee certainly wouldn't have been the automatic first choice to play Dracula as his turn as the Creature got him the gig as the Count. I can't see Bresslaw taking the role, but I could easily see him turned into the British equivalent of Lon Chaney Jr by Hammer. Maybe Peter Cushing might have played the Count and somebody else might have played Van Helsing opposite him.
Going back to the first paragraph of this article - would Sir Sean have made a better Gandalf than Sir Ian? For my money, a resounding No. With Sean Connery, what you see is what you get. He's first and foremost a personality rather than a character actor. Whatever part he plays, the old Glaswegian tough-guy is just under the surface. He molded himself into 007 and was completely convincing in the role because he was able to convince even Ian Fleming that although Bond was Eton educated and had a licence to kill, he had once done a milk round down Sauchiehall Street. Subsequent roles - like the Captain in Hunt For Red October, Alan Quartermain in League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen and his Oscar-winning turn in The Untouchables really built on what he did - and was best at - as 007. He's done a handful of out-of-the-box portrayals - most notable being Henry Jones Sr in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and yet even in that where he's supposed to be playing a bumbling academic he has at least a couple of moments - "The floor's on fire!" where the Sean Connery we all know and love shines through. His casting in Jeremiah Chechik's The Avengers is possibly the most notable piece of miscasting in movie history, and is one of the key elements that make that movie so awful - in the climactic fight, your sympathies are with him, not Ralph Fiennes as Steed. Interestingly most of the out-of-the-box roles he has been offered, he has turned down including the role of John Hammond in Jurassic Park - which would have saved us from Dickie Attenborough's turn in that film (Yar-hoo). If he had understood the books and accepted the role of Gandalf, I think he'd have been a good Gandalf, but he'd have been Sean Connery playing Gandalf, where Ian McKellen transformed himself into a wizard. I mean - look at him facing down the Balrog and then think how you'd react to "You shall not parsh!"
How might Back To The Future have worked with Eric Stoltz as Marty? Casablanca with George Raft or Ronald Reagan as Rick? My Fair Lady with Julie Andrews and Cary Grant (not forgetting Jimmy Cagney as Alfred Doolittle)? Star Wars with Burt Reynolds, Nick Nolte or Richard Dreyfuss as Han Solo, Jodie Foster or Sissy Spacek as Princess Leia and Babylon 5's Bruce Boxleitner as Luke Skywalker?
Hollywood is awash with tales of actors who could have taken famous roles, but turned the director down. It's entirely possible most of the most iconic screen roles were taken by a director's second or third choice, and it makes you wonder would the movie be any better or worse with the first-choice actor in the role.
One of the most high profile second-choices was Harrison Ford getting the role of Indiana Jones. Steven Spielberg wasn't even considering Ford as a possible, as the actor was settled into the role of Han Solo for his producing partner George Lucas at the time. Spielberg's first choice was tv actor Tom Selleck, but unfortunately Selleck was contracted to play Magnum PI for Universal and couldn't get out of his contract (a similar fate was to befall 007-in-waiting Pierce Brosnan in 1987 when he couldn't get out of his Remington Steele contract.)
What would Christopher Lee's Hammer career have looked like if Bernie Bresslaw hadn't asked for too much money to play the Creature in Curse of Frankenstein (1957)? Lee certainly wouldn't have been the automatic first choice to play Dracula as his turn as the Creature got him the gig as the Count. I can't see Bresslaw taking the role, but I could easily see him turned into the British equivalent of Lon Chaney Jr by Hammer. Maybe Peter Cushing might have played the Count and somebody else might have played Van Helsing opposite him.
Going back to the first paragraph of this article - would Sir Sean have made a better Gandalf than Sir Ian? For my money, a resounding No. With Sean Connery, what you see is what you get. He's first and foremost a personality rather than a character actor. Whatever part he plays, the old Glaswegian tough-guy is just under the surface. He molded himself into 007 and was completely convincing in the role because he was able to convince even Ian Fleming that although Bond was Eton educated and had a licence to kill, he had once done a milk round down Sauchiehall Street. Subsequent roles - like the Captain in Hunt For Red October, Alan Quartermain in League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen and his Oscar-winning turn in The Untouchables really built on what he did - and was best at - as 007. He's done a handful of out-of-the-box portrayals - most notable being Henry Jones Sr in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and yet even in that where he's supposed to be playing a bumbling academic he has at least a couple of moments - "The floor's on fire!" where the Sean Connery we all know and love shines through. His casting in Jeremiah Chechik's The Avengers is possibly the most notable piece of miscasting in movie history, and is one of the key elements that make that movie so awful - in the climactic fight, your sympathies are with him, not Ralph Fiennes as Steed. Interestingly most of the out-of-the-box roles he has been offered, he has turned down including the role of John Hammond in Jurassic Park - which would have saved us from Dickie Attenborough's turn in that film (Yar-hoo). If he had understood the books and accepted the role of Gandalf, I think he'd have been a good Gandalf, but he'd have been Sean Connery playing Gandalf, where Ian McKellen transformed himself into a wizard. I mean - look at him facing down the Balrog and then think how you'd react to "You shall not parsh!"
How might Back To The Future have worked with Eric Stoltz as Marty? Casablanca with George Raft or Ronald Reagan as Rick? My Fair Lady with Julie Andrews and Cary Grant (not forgetting Jimmy Cagney as Alfred Doolittle)? Star Wars with Burt Reynolds, Nick Nolte or Richard Dreyfuss as Han Solo, Jodie Foster or Sissy Spacek as Princess Leia and Babylon 5's Bruce Boxleitner as Luke Skywalker?
Your Opinions and Comments
For those tantalised by Tom Selleck as Indy, there is the Legend of the Lost Art episode of Magnum PI, and of course there is High Road to China, which covered similar swashbuckling territory.
Mike created a very interesting character, a Shrek who has a sense of humor that's not good but makes him happy. Chris's Shrek was born of frustration and self-doubt, an internal struggle between the certainty of a good heart and the insecurity of not understanding things.Sadly the recordings are unavailable and no-one has ever heard them.
As does Sylvester Stallone being the first choice for the role of Axl Foley in Beverley Hills Cop!