The John Bender role was the most difficult to cast for John Hughes. Initially, the role was to be played by Emilio Estevez, but Hughes was having trouble casting the part of Andrew Clark, the wrestler. So, Estevez agreed to play that part, and it was down to Judd Nelson and John Cusack. Hughes cast Cusack, but replaced him with Nelson, as he didn't think Cusack was threatening enough. However, had things gone differently, we might have had this:
Photo by Annie Leibovitz
The Set-Up The second film John Hughes would both write and direct about navigating teen life. Like his previous effort, Sixteen Candles, this film addresses the high school experience. However, this film would incorporate more serious themes and intersperse comedic with dramatic moments. Taking place in the library during detention on Saturday, the characters represent the different archetypes encountered in high school: "An Athlete," "A Brain," "A Basketcase," "A Criminal," and "A Princess." Rick Moranis was cast as the janitor but he left due to creative differences. However, that's a post for another time.
The Execution The film helped to further establish John Hughes as both a writer and director and launched the careers of the young cast. The film marked a more realistic and sensitive approach to the angst teenagers experience in high school, as opposed to the approach previously employed by many other filmmakers in the genre.
What might have been
Cusack decides to continue to take roles which suit the "John Bender," image, and as a result, we get the following debut from Cameron Crowe
"Morning has broken, like the first morning."
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