Withnail and I with Daniel Day-Lewis

One of the all-time great comedies, produced by Handmade Films (Which had been created by George Harrison solely to produce Monty Python's The Life of Brian). Originally, a multitude of actors read for the part of Withnail, so we almost had this incarnation:

I don't know what my fri--associate said. 

The Set-Up 
Bruce Robinson had been an actor in Camden Town in the 1960s and wrote what had intended to be a novel about his experiences. Later, he adapted it into a film and every up and coming actor read for it. Along with Daniel Day-Lewis, both Bill Nighy and Kenneth Branagh read for the part before Richard E. Grant was cast. 

The Execution 

The film, about two struggling actors, is a phenomenal film. To quote actor Ralph Brown who plays the character Danny "There isn't a crap bit in it." However, should Robinson have chosen to go in a different direction and cast Daniel Day-Lewis, perhaps he and Grant would have switched career trajectories...

What might have been

Aliens with James Remar

The sequel to Alien was greenlighted almost immediately, and when the producers read the script for The Terminator, they knew they had found the perfect director in James Cameron. Influenced by the book Starship Troopers, Aliens became a hit and is a legitimately great film. Originally, James Remar had been cast as Hicks, but due to creative differences, and battles with addiction, Remar was replaced by Cameron regular Michael Biehn. 

                                          

I don't believe it. I got shot. 

The Set-Up 
Remar who had starred in The Warriors and 48 Hours for Walter Hill was cast as Hicks. Hill was also producing Aliens. However, shooting became problematic, so Remar was replaced by Biehn who delivered another excellent performance as Corporal Hicks. From 1984-1993, he would play memorable roles in The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, and Tombstone. 

The Execution 

Aliens became a classic in the genre and might possibly be James Cameron's best film. After the release of Aliens, he had been giving Carte Blanche by studio Carolco. He would go on to make The Abyss, Terminator 2, and True Lies before making Titanic. Carolco filed for bankruptcy, but before that, there had been talks of Cameron adapting Spiderman into a film. Had that happened:

What might have been

Just your friendly neighborhood web crawler. 

Lord of the Rings with Stuart Townsend

The first live-action adaptation of Lord of The Rings had been pursued by The Beatles, who wanted Stanley Kubrick to helm the film. In 1970, John Boorman tried and used many of his ideas in the film Excalibur. In 1978 Ralph Bashki made an animated version. Finally, in 2001, the first film in the trilogy was released with Peter Jackson at the helm. However, he would replace his original choice for Aragorn before filming started. Had he not though, we may have had this:

                                          

The Set-Up 

Originally, Stuart Townsend had been cast as Aragorn after Russell Crowe, Daniel Day-Lewis, and that's right Nicolas Cage turned it down. We could probably have completely separate posts for all of those. For whatever reasons (some rumors suggest Jackson realized Townsend then 28 was too young for the part. There are other rumors which state he was difficult to work with.) He was replaced by 42-year-old Viggo Mortensen, who read the book on the plane to New Zealand and received a crash course in fencing upon arrival. 

The Execution 

The Lord of the Rings trilogy became an international success culminating in a sweep of the 2003 Oscars for the final film in the trilogy The Return of the King. It also influenced filmmaking techniques for the foreseeable future. 

What might have been

Mortensen, while already a working actor, became well known after Lord of the Rings. However, had Townsend stayed with the film, perhaps we would have had this (that's Thomas Jane)

I don't dance on Sundays. 

The Lovely Bones with Ryan Gosling

These days, Ryan Gosling is an international superstar who has most recently played leads in the films Blade Runner 2046 and La La Land. However, in 2008, while he had put forth an amazing performance in the film Half Nelson, he was still best known for his role in 2004's The Notebook. If things had gone differently in 2008...

                                          Requesting "I Ran" from a serious musician, it's just, it's too far

The Set-Up Peter Jackon had already made the Lord of the Rings trilogy as well as King Kong. This was going to be a change of pace. Initially, Gosling had been cast as the father, and he was concerned about his age being a factor since he was in his late 20's. He was going to portray a character with a 14-year-old daughter. Gosling arrived for pre-production having grown and significant weight gain. As a result of this, and probably other reasons, Gosling was replaced by Mark Wahlberg who was in his late 30's. 

The Execution The film underperformed at the box office, but Stanley Tucci was nominated for an Academy Award. Peter Jackson returned to making films based on Tolkien's work. Gosling made the following two films Blue Valentine, and the studio film Crazy, Stupid, Love; which he probably would have made if he had stayed with The Lovely Bones, but we may have also gotten this:

What might have been

I am not the boy next door...

The Breakfast Club with John Cusack

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."

                                  

Ferris Bueller's Day Off with Emilio Estevez

John Hughes began his career as a copywriter who submitted regularly to National Lampoon's Magazine. In fact, the film Vacation started as a short story Hughes had written entitled "Vacation '58." Naturally, Hughes segued into writing and directing films. By 1985 he had already written and or directed Mr. Mom, Vacation, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, European Vacation, and Pretty in Pink. Whether the part of Ferris was offered to Anthony Michael Hall, it was ultimately played by Matthew Broderick. Others who were apparently considered included Rob Lowe, John Cusack, Johnny Depp, Michael J. Fox, Tom Cruise, and Robert Downey Jr. The part of Ferris's friend Cameron was offered to Emilio Estevez who turned it down to play the lead in the film Repo Man. However, had he accepted, things would have been very different. 

What do you mean sushi and crimes?

The Set-Up

The first cut of the film was substantially longer than the final version. In the original script, Ferris had two younger siblings who were removed entirely. Also cut substantially was Charlie Sheen's character. In the finished version, now a cameo, his character "Garth Volbeck" had been a close friend of Ferris who developed a drug problem and got into trouble, which is why Ferris is so bent on showing Cameron a good time. This adds a layer of depth to the story, which when excised makes the film more about Ferris satisfying his ego than being altruistic. Alan Ruck had auditioned for the role of Bender in The Breakfast Club, and he and Broderick had been in the play Biloxi Blues together, so they already had chemistry. Though Ruck was 29, he still looked like a teenager. 

The Execution

The film cemented John Hughes's legacy as an accomplished writer/director. Though he is lauded primarily for teen films, his range includes more than one genre. When I was teaching, I would often recite Ben Stein's Hawley-Smoot Tariff act speech, which raised or lowered, raised taxes in an effort to alleviate the effects of The Great Depression.  

Something D-O-O Economics.

What might have been

Who knows what might have happened if Estevez had taken the role of Cameron. I have difficulty picturing anyone except Alan Ruck portraying Cameron. Also interesting is contemplating the theory that Ferris is simply a figment of Cameron's imagination. Also, we probably would have gotten this: 

                                    How's that for a plate-o-shrimp moment?

Star Wars with Kurt Russell

Kurt Russell began his career as a child actor. In 1963, in one of his first roles, he kicked Elvis Presley's character in the shin in the film "It Happened at the World's Fair." Later, Russell would be one of a few who successfully made the transition from being a child actor to an adult actor. Now a leading man and bankable star, what if George Lucas had gone a different way during casting in 1976. We might have gotten this:

"Who's scruffy looking?"

The Set-Up

During the same casting session which saw Carrie Fisher read for both Princess Leia and Carrie the film of the same name; Kurt Russell read for the part of Han Solo. Had he been cast as the loveable rogue, things would have been quite different. 

The Execution

Harrison Ford did an excellent job as Han Solo. He made the character three dimensional and added depth which Kurt Russell may not have been able to bring to the role at that age. While he managed to imbue a similar vibe to Jack Burton, he was also 36 at the time, as opposed to 25 when he auditioned for Star Wars. Regardless, it's difficult to picture anyone else except Harrison Ford playing Han Solo.

"Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.”

What might have been

However, if Russell is cast, then Star Wars probably launches him to stardom and he does not act in any of the John Carpenter films which would cement his legacy later. Instead, we have:

"You are the Duke; A Number 1"

hold the fort and keep the home fires burning. And if we’re not back by dawn… call the president.