Al Pacino as Ron Kovic in Born on the Fourth of July? Meg Ryan in Pretty Woman? One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest starring…Burt Reynolds? These were just a few of the real original movie pairings that I highlighted in my previous blog post, Originally Starring.
Here I continue with more Photoshop fun, re-imagining film posters with the actors initially slated for famed roles that eventually went to someone else.

Raiders Of The Lost Ark

While it is true that Tom Selleck was offered the role of Indiana Jones he was actually director Steven Spielberg’s second choice. While Steven envisioned Harrison Ford as Indy producer George Lucas had his doubts since he had cast Ford already in two of his films (American Graffiti and Star Wars) and didn’t want Ford to become “that guy I put in all my movies.” Though Selleck’s commitment to “Magnum, P.I.” did necessitate him bowing out, the TV series did not go into production until Raiders’ filming had wrapped. But Spielberg had already convinced Lucas that Ford was his man.

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Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Nicole Kidman was cast as Jane Smith but left the project. This caused Brad Pitt to bow out as well until Angelina Jolie signed on, after which he reconsidered.

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Bull Durham

Kurt Russell assisted writer/director Ron Shelton with the script as both were minor league baseball players. Kurt assumed he was to play Crash Davis but Kevin Costner got the nod. Kurt Russell: “Ronnie Shelton and I both lived that life. There were a lot of things in there that were derivative of what had happened to me. I was surprised that Ronnie [did] it with somebody else. I went to Europe on a vacation, having said the script was great, and I came back to discover Kevin was doing it.”

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Love Story

Christopher Walken was director Arthur Hiller’s choice for the role of Oliver Barrett IV. Producer Robert Evans disagreed, and instead cast Ryan O’Neal, “a reactor rather than an actor,” as the Harvard student.

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Men In Black

Clint Eastwood declined starring as Kevin Brown/Agent K probably because of a weak script—Steven Spielberg assured Tommy Lee Jones (who thought the script stunk) that it would improve. David Schwimmer was offered the opportunity to appear as James Darrell Edwards III/Agent J in the blockbuster but decided to star in The Pallbearer instead, commenting that “this is an opportunity to grow rather than go for the quick cash.”

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Jerry Maguire

Writer/director Cameron Crowe wrote the titular character for Tom Hanks. Tom turned down the opportunity because he was busy with his directorial debut, That Thing You Do.

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The Fugitive

The producers of The Fugitive had Harrison Ford read a version of the script but he was non-plussed, so he declined the role. They then got Alec Baldwin and director Walter Hill onboard, who approached Warners about the project; Baldwin believed that the meeting was a disaster. Another script re-write and fortuitous timing led Harrison Ford to reconsider and accept the lead role—it was the second time he nabbed a part after Alec passed (Patriot Games was the other).

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The Legend Of Bagger Vance

Matt Damon’s role of Rannulph Junuh was previously offered to Brad Pitt who declined. Robert Redford initially envisioned Morgan Freeman in the role as Bagger Vance—and himself playing Junuh!—but decided it would be best to cast the roles to younger actors.

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Beverly Hills Cop

When Sylvester Stallone came onboard the project he immediately started re-writing the script to his own satisfaction (read: more action, less comedy). When the budget swelled, he was let go in favor of Eddie Murphy—but the script changes he made were later incorporated into Sly’s 1986 cop actioner, Cobra.

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Dirty Harry

The poster above is actually not a mock-up by yours truly. It is a real trade ad which appeared in Boxoffice magazine on November 9, 1970. The script, originally entitled Dead Right, had Harry Callahan as a middle-aged man, and many actors (including Robert Mitchum, John Wayne, Burt Lancaster) turned the part down before Frank Sinatra accepted the role. Sinatra eventually left the project, and a further multitude of actors were offered the part but declined. It was Paul Newman who suggested Clint Eastwood might be a good fit.