People Are Sharing Examples Of Movies That Would’ve Been WAY Better With A Different Actor, And Some Of These Are Seriously Hot Takes

If there's one thing about me, I LOVE hypothesizing about a movie casting what-if.

Like, what if Matthew McConaughey had played Jack in Titanic? What would the world be like if Reese Witherspoon had been allowed to star in Gone Girl like she wanted? And would Brangelina still have been a thing if Nicole Kidman had played Angelina Jolie's part in Mr. & Mrs. Smith? All very important questions.

Well, over on Reddit, movie-lovers have been giving their hot takes on which films they think actually would've been BETTER had someone else played one of the roles. So, let's get into it!

Note: These are people's own personal takes. Some of the text has been edited for clarity and length.

1. Emily Blunt as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in the MCU (instead of Scarlett Johansson)

"Scarlett did a fine job and all, Emily Blunt would’ve killed it."

Emily previously said that she turned down the Marvel role because she was already "contracted to do Gulliver’s Travels," a movie she "didn't want" to make. "It was a bit of a heartbreaker for me because I take such pride in the decisions that I make, and they mean so much to me, the films that I do, so that was tough," she told Howard Stern in 2021. "They [Fox] kind of have a bit of a hold over you. There were other movies that I would want to do." Years later, in 2023, she said the role of Black Widow went to the "best girl."

2. Will Smith as Neo in The Matrix (instead of Keanu Reeves)

"It’s hard to picture anyone other than Keanu as Neo because it’s such an iconic movie, but tbh I think Will Smith is a better actor than Keanu Reeves 😬"

Following the release of box-office hits like Bad Boys, Independence Day, and Men in Black, Will was offered the lead role in The Matrix. Years later, he explained that he passed on the part because he felt unsure about the Wachowskis' pitch for the film.

3. Adam Sandler as Sergeant Donny Donowitz in Inglourious Basterds (instead of Eli Roth)

"Eli Roth was fine as a replacement in the role, but I’ll always wonder how good Sandler could have been."

In 2022, Quentin Tarantino confirmed a longstanding rumor that he initially wrote the part of Donny/“The Bear Jew” for Adam. Unfortunately, Adam wasn't available because he was making Funny People with Judd Apatow. Quentin then turned to Seth Rogen and David Krumholtz, neither of whom could make it work either. So, he wound up casting his longtime friend, Eli, in the role.

4. Michael Jackson as Jareth in Labyrinth (instead of David Bowie)

"I love David Bowie, but I’m fascinated by what Labyrinth could have been if Michael Jackson had been cast as the Goblin King. The character design, the way his movements and style would have shaped the role, and how the songs would have been completely different."

When Jim Henson decided he wanted a pop icon to play Jareth in Labyrinth, his top choices were MJ and David. According to reports, he ultimately chose David because it felt like it'd be easier for him to embody the villain's maturity and danger. Discussing the topic in 2021, Jim's son, Brian Henson, said, "I just felt like Bowie had a quirkiness and yet a really coolness that would work really well for my dad, whereas Michael had a perfection to his work that would have been tough."

5. Patrick Swayze as Ben Richards in The Running Man (instead of Arnold Schwarzenegger)

"Patrick Swayze was considered for the role of Ben Richards in The Running Man. I think it would have had more stakes that way, and a bit more humanity. I mean, you never really think Arnold could possibly lose."

Before Glen Powell's Running Man adaptation, there was the 1987 version starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. It's been rumored that the film's creators initially approached Patrick to play the lead role, but he turned it down due to scheduling conflicts.

6. David Bowie as Niander Wallace in Blade Runner 2049 (instead of Jared Leto)

"Putting aside any issues and opinions about Jared Leto, the role was written with Bowie in mind, and Leto's line delivery even echoes this."

In 2017, the director Denis Villeneuve revealed that David had been his first choice to play the villainous Niander Wallace because he had "influenced Blade Runner in many ways." After David sadly died in January 2016, Jared was cast instead.

7. John Lithgow as Doc Brown in Back to the Future (instead of Christopher Lloyd)

"I know Christopher Lloyd was iconic, but hearing Lithgow was the original choice, I'd love to see an alternative universe where he's Doc Brown."

Neil Canton, one of the Back to the Future producers, had apparently watched John in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension and thought he'd be perfect to play the eccentric Doc Brown. However, John turned down the role due to scheduling conflicts, so they chose Christopher instead.

8. Jake Gyllenhaal as Spider-Man/Peter Parker in the OG Sony trilogy (instead of Tobey Maguire)

"He's a far better actor than Tobey. My biggest gripe with it was his Spider-Man; it felt nothing like the character. I think Jake would've done a better job."

Tobey nearly had to be replaced in Spider-Man 2 after he sustained a serious back injury on another film. Jake has confirmed that he was among those considered for the last-minute recasting, but it didn't come to be, as Tobey was ultimately fit enough to play the part himself.

9. Burt Reynolds as George Spahn in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (instead of Bruce Dern)

"Burt Reynolds was supposed to play George Spahn in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but he died before he could film his scene. That movie is already amazing, but God damn, Burt Reynolds would have been so perfect."

According to Quentin Tarantino (welcome back), Burt was incredibly excited about his casting in the movie right before he died of a heart attack in September 2018. "The night he died...he was running lines with his assistant," the director said. "That’s, like, sad and beautiful at the same time. He was so happy. I can honestly say he died happy." Burt's good friend, Bruce Dern, was announced as his replacement a few weeks later.

10. Tom Selleck as Batman in the Dark Knight trilogy (instead of Christian Bale)

"I am prepared for the backlash on this one...Tom Selleck as Dark Knight era Batman. Tom is huge. His scowl is darker than most other actors. His voice became more gravelly as he aged away from the Thomas Magnum years. His face and jawline are Batman-level square and chiseled. In his late 40s to his 50s, he would have been perfect."

While there's no evidence to suggest that Tom was on Christopher Nolan's casting list in the 2000s, the actor was reportedly in the running to play the titular superhero in Tim Burton's Batman in 1989, which wound up starring Michael Keaton.

11. Sean Connery as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings movies (instead of Ian McKellen)

"Much as I love Ian McKellan as Gandalf, I can't help but wonder what it would be like if Sean Connery played him as originally planned (Sean Connery turned the role down because he couldn't understand it)."

New Line Cinema executive Mark Ordesky said in 2021 that Sean — who died in 2020 — was offered the part of Gandalf but "said no," because "he read the material and just didn’t get it."

12. Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Irulan in the Dune franchise (instead of Florence Pugh)

"I think an actress such as Elizabeth Debicki better fits the book description of Princess Irulan, while having the chops to match any performance from Florence Pugh."

Though Elizabeth was never publicly linked to the role, she's long been a popular fan-casting for Princess Irulan, who is described in the Dune books as being a tall, blonde woman with an aristocratic manner. For reference, Florence is reportedly 5'3" tall, while Elizabeth is 6'2.5".

13. Charlize Theron as Imperator Furiosa in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (instead of Anya Taylor-Joy)

"Honestly, I think they should’ve kept Charlize Theron in the Furiosa movie. By all means, cast a few younger versions for the first half, but use Theron for the rest with a bit of strategic makeup, and it could’ve worked fine. Enjoyed the movie, but ATJ was very miscast and lacked the intensity needed completely."

Mad Max director George Miller said that Charlize was recast in Furiosa because the de-aging technology "wasn’t working." "I really thought we’d do it with Charlize," he said. "[But] all you're seeing is the technology."

14. Charlie Hunnam as Christian Grey in the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise (instead of Jamie Dornan)

"I (made the mistake) of seeing Fifty Shades of Grey, and I couldn’t take that guy (Jamie Dornan) seriously as this super-hot billionaire. Maybe the billionaire part, but he just seemed so bland and uncharismatic."

Charlie's casting in Fifty Shades was announced by Universal Studios in September 2013. But just a month later, the filmmakers backtracked and said they were looking for a new actor to play Christian after Charlie was forced to drop out due to scheduling issues. Within a few weeks, Jamie Dornan was announced as the replacement, and he went on to star in all three films opposite Dakota Johnson.

15. Christian Bale or Leonardo DiCaprio as Balian de Ibelin in Kingdom of Heaven (instead of Orlando Bloom)

"Bloom is fine and holds himself well in action, but the entire rest of the cast overshadows him. Those two would've brought the intensity needed."

As far as I can tell, neither Christian nor Leonardo were considered for this role. Notably, Christian has previously joked that he owes his career to Leo passing on big roles. "To this day, any role that anybody gets, it's only because he's passed on it beforehand," he told GQ in 2022.

16. Sacha Baron Cohen as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody (instead of Rami Malek)

"Don’t get me wrong, Rami Malik was fantastic in the version of the movie that was made. I just think Sasha would have done a wonderful job playing more to the dark elements of his life, and the band’s history..."

Sacha was supposed to play Freddie, but left the project due to a dispute with the living members of Queen, who apparently had different ideas about how the story should be told. In 2016, it was announced that Rami Malek would portray the music icon. He went on to win an Oscar for his performance in 2019.

17. Will Smith as Django in Django Unchained (instead of Jamie Foxx)

"Will Smith in Django would have made the film much better."

For our third and final Tarantino mention, Will said he turned down this role because "Django wasn't the lead." "It was like, I need to be the lead. The other character was the lead! I was like, 'No, Quentin, please, I need to kill the bad guy!'" he told Entertainment Weekly in 2013. "I thought it was brilliant. Just not for me."

18. Anne Hathaway as Tiffany in Silver Linings Playbook (instead of Jennifer Lawrence)

"Not only would Anne be actually convincing as a widow, but she would also give a better performance."

Silver Linings Playbook was initially meant to star Anne opposite Mark Wahlberg, but she dropped out due to "some creative differences" with the film's director, David O Russell. In the end, Jennifer and Bradley Cooper took over the roles, which led to J.Law's Oscar win in 2013. And, as fate would have it, Anne won an Oscar that year, too, for Les Misérables.

Woowwwwzas, some of these are pretty bold statements, so let me know your thoughts in the comments. And feel free to use the form below to share any examples you have!